Measuring Sea Height and Roughness With GPS Reflections
TBMG-3324
06/01/2002
- Content
A proposed technique of bistatic radar altimetry would utilize information available in Global Positioning System (GPS) signals reflected from the ocean surface. The signals would be monitored by an airborne or spaceborne receiver and would be processed to determine the height, roughness, and possibly other properties of the surface. An important advantage of the proposed technique would be density and rapidity of coverage: Whereas a traditional nadirlooking radar altimeter gives the surface height at only one location below the altimeter, a receiver implementing the proposed technique could track about 10 GPS reflections simultaneously. Such dense coverage could translate to spatial and temporal resolutions greater than those previously achievable, and hence the ability to study ocean-topography features or processes beyond the reach of prior techniques. Potential applications could include monitoring of eddies and tides and tracking of fast barotropic waves.
- Citation
- "Measuring Sea Height and Roughness With GPS Reflections," Mobility Engineering, June 1, 2002.