STAR / SOCD / Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry

LSA Mission

LSA specializes in the analysis of satellite altimeter data related to problems in physical oceanography and marine geophysics.

The following projects are presently active in our group.

• Sea Level Rise - Satellite altimeter observations from the RADS database system are used for determining global and regional mean sea level trends from 1992 to the present, as well as sea level trend maps.
• Near-Real Time Analyses - Altimeter data, processed daily within 1-2 days of acquisition, are used operationally for determining ocean currents, monitoring sea level, and are assimilated in models to improve forecasts of El Nino and hurricane intensity.
• Topex/Poseidon Historical Sea Level - Altimeter analyses from the NASA/CNES Topex/Poseidon altimeter mission (1992-present) are provided in terms of sea level deviations and anomalies. Data are available along the satellite track, in gridded form, or as color maps.
• ERS Altimetry - Altimeter data have been collected since 1991 by the European Space Agency's ERS-1 and ERS-2 satellites. ERS-2 data are processed daily by LSA within a few hours of collection by the satellite.
• Geosat Follow-On - Launched in 1998, the US Navy GFO altimeter has had many problems, but has been operating continuously since Dec. 2000. These data will complement those collected by Geosat during 1985-89.
• Geophysics Research - Altimetry contributes to determination of gravity anomalies over the ocean. These fields provide information about plate tectonics and bottom topography. Areas of specialty include the polar regions and the southwest Pacific.
• Geophysics Products - Posters, CD-ROMs, and latest images.
• Sea Floor Topography - An interactive global sea floor topography map.

For more information, contact Laury Miller.