Effects of Interferometric Radar Altimeter Errors on Marine Gravity Field Inversion

Area of Science:

• Geophysics
• Oceanography
• Satellite Remote Sensing

Background:

• Traditional pulse-limited radar altimeters provide 1D ocean surface height data, limiting marine gravity field inversion accuracy, particularly for east-component vertical deflections.
• Wide-swath altimetry utilizing radar interferometry enables 2D ocean surface height measurements, promising uniform accuracy for vertical deflection components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of Interferometric Radar Altimeter (InRA) errors on the accuracy of marine gravity field inversion.
• To analyze error propagation between gravity anomalies and InRA measurements.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of error propagation formulas relating gravity anomalies and InRA measurements.
• Numerical simulations using hypothetical InRA parameters to assess gravity anomaly inversion accuracy.

Main Results:

• InRA phase errors are the primary factor affecting gravity anomaly inversion accuracy.
• A linear approximation relationship exists between gravity anomaly errors and InRA phase errors.
• The east component of vertical deflections achieves accuracy comparable to the north component.

Conclusions:

• Interferometric Radar Altimetry significantly enhances the accuracy of marine gravity field inversion.
• InRA technology provides more reliable and uniformly accurate measurements of vertical deflections.
• Understanding InRA error propagation is crucial for optimizing gravity field inversion results.