[SatNews] EUMETSAT and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, are holding an altimetry conference at Lake Constance, Germany, on 27-31 October 27th through 31st, 2014.
Organized around the annual Ocean Surface Topography Science Team (OSTST) meeting, New frontiers of altimetry is discussing the mission performance of new Ka-band altimeters and of the current Jason mission. It is also assessing processing updates and the development of new applications and discussing user requirements for future systems such asSentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) and Sentinel-3.
On October 27th, the conference began with a workshop on the SARAL/AltiKa (Satellite with ARgos and ALtimeter in Ka-band) to review the calibration/validation studies of the first SARAL data and the scientific investigations of data from the Franco-Indian satellite 20 months after its launch on February 25, 2013. The workshop highlighted the new altimetry capabilities of the Ka-band in areas such as oceanography (improved resolution in the open ocean, coastal altimetry), hydrology and the cryosphere.
On October 28 to 31, the 2014 OSTST meeting itself is analyzing the TOPEX/Poseidon-Jason and other ocean altimetry missions. Splinter sessions are discussing the following subjects:
- Regional and global calibration/validation for assembling a climate data record
- Precision orbit determination
- Instrument processing: environmental corrections (wet and dry troposphere, Ionosphere), low-rate mode and search and rescue altimeter retracking and sea state bias
- Near-real-time products and applications
- Outreach, education and altimetric data
- Geoid, mean sea surfaces and mean dynamic topography
- Quantifying errors and uncertainties in altimetry data
- Tides, internal tides and high-frequency processes
- Science results from satellite altimetry
The International DORIS Service Workshop is discussing current developments and the scientific results using Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) data and is examining how to coordinate future activities.
Additional information regarding this conference is available at this infopage.