The Use of GPS Buoys to Calibrate Altimetric Satellites

Mike Park, George Born, Penny Axelrad, Kenn Gold, Kevin Key, Dan Kubitshek, Tom Kelecy, Jimmy LaMance, Chris Rocken, Jim Johnson, E.J. Christensen, Richard Eanes

Abstract:	This paper describes the basic concept of using open ocean buoys equipped with GPS to calibrate the height measurement of altimetric satellites. The results of two experiments using a spar buoy are used as ex- amples. The first is an experiment conducted off La Jolla, California on November 28, 1991, when the ERS 1 satellite overflew the area. A 45 minute GPS so- lution was computed using K&RS and used to pro- duce a sea level time series. The second experiment was conducted off the California coast near the Tex- aco off-shore oil platform, Harvest, during cycle 34 of the TOPEX/POSEIDON observational period. GPS solutions were computed for the buoy position using two different software packages, K&RS and GIPSY- OASIS II. For both experiments, the ocean surface height in an absolute coordinate system was combined with knowledge of the spacecraft height from track- ing data to provide a computed altimeter range mea- surement. By comparing this computed value to the actual altimeter measurement, the altimeter bias was calibrated. For the first experiment, the bias in the ERS-1 altimeter was found to be -58f15 cm. For the second experiment, the bias in the TOPEX altimeter was found to be was -14.6f4 cm using K&RS and - 13.154 cm with GIPSY-OASIS II.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 7th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1994) September 20 - 23, 1994 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	221 - 230
Cite this article:	Park, Mike, Born, George, Axelrad, Penny, Gold, Kenn, Key, Kevin, Kubitshek, Dan, Kelecy, Tom, LaMance, Jimmy, Rocken, Chris, Johnson, Jim, Christensen, E.J., Eanes, Richard, "The Use of GPS Buoys to Calibrate Altimetric Satellites," Proceedings of the 7th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1994), Salt Lake City, UT, September 1994, pp. 221-230.
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