Sea Level Measurement Instruments

Measurement Definition: Actual, local sea level inclusive of mean sea level and perturbations (tides, etc.) [Unit of measurement - cm]

Thematic Links
InstrumentStatus/
Accuracy
Instrument DescriptionMeasurement TechnologyTimeline
ALTOperationalGlobal ocean topography, sea level and gravity field measurements.n/a
AltiKaOperationalSea surface height.n/a
AMROperationalAltimeter data to correct for errors caused by water vapour and cloud-cover. Also measures total water vapour and brightness temperature.n/a
AMR-COperationalCapabilities of the AMR with the addition of an on-board calibrator for high stability wet-tropospheric path delay correction.n/a
AMR-SOperationalCapabilities of the AMR with the addition of a 2nd beam to provide wet-tropospheric path delay correction within both swaths of the primary radar instrument (KaRIn)n/a
DGXX-SOperationalPrecise orbit determination; Real time onboard orbit determination (navigation). The main changes from previous versions of DORIS are the change of DORIS antenna location for compliance with each potential launch vehicle; improvement in modeling the Solar Panels position; new data in Telemetry allowing "pole product" generation.n/a
GPSPOperationalPrecision orbit determination.n/a
Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn)OperationalSwath mapping radar altimeter that provides measurements for surface water.n/a
LRAOperationalBaseline tracking data for precision orbit determination and/or geodesy. Also for calibration of radar altimeter bias. Several types used on various missions. (ASI involved in LAGEOS 2 development).n/a
POSEIDON-3B AltimeterOperationalNadir viewing sounding radar for provision of real-time high precision sea surface topography, ocean circulation and wave height data.n/a
POSEIDON-3C AltimeterOperationalNadir viewing sounding radar for provision of real-time high precision sea surface topography, ocean circulation and wave height data.n/a
Poseidon-4 AltimeterOperationalNadir viewing sounding radar for provision of real-time high-precision sea surface topography, ocean circulation and wave height data.n/a
SRALOperationalMarine and land services.n/a
AMR-CRApprovedCapabilities of the AMR with the addition of an on-board calibrator for high stability wet-tropospheric path delay correction and a redesign with respect to AMR-C (i.e. the 3 high res MW radiometer channels at 90, 130 and 166 GHz are an integral subsystem of the instrument and not experimental as in AMR-C)n/a
IRISApprovedKu-band Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar Altimeter (with added Ka-band channel for snow depth retrieval and in combination with AMR-CR MW Radiometer for ice&snow classification and wet troposphere correction) to cover the needs for continuous monitoring of sea ice thickness and land ice elevation measurement after Cryosat-2, with enhanced performance.n/a
LTIApprovedThe aim of MAGIC is to obtain high-resolution measurements in space and time and include the capability to determine the variations in gravity field due to mass change in hydrology, cryosphere, oceanography, solid Earth and climate change signals so as to serve science and operational products including emergency services.n/a
Poseidon-5 AltimeterProposedNadir viewing sounding radar for provision of real-time high-precision sea surface topography, ocean circulation and wave height data.n/a
SAOOHProposedInterferometric swath altimeter building on the heritage of the SWOT mission. It will enhance sampling coverage and performance of hydrology water surface elevation measurements.n/a