Can We Merge GEOSAT Follow-On with TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-2 for an Improved Description of the Ocean Circulation?

Abstract

Merging Geosat Follow-On (GFO) with TOPEX/Poseidon (TP) and ERS-2 altimeter data has the potential to improve the mapping of sea level and ocean circulation variations. This can be achieved, however, only if measurement errors and inconsistencies between the different missions are sufficiently reduced. In this paper, it is shown how to get consistent sea surface heights from the three missions using the most precise mission (TP) as a reference. A new technique is then used to estimate a GFO mean profile. This allows consistent sea level anomalies (SLAs) to be extracted from GFO, TP, and ERS-2. SLA data are then merged with a mapping technique that takes into account noise and residual long wavelength errors. Thanks to these techniques, it is shown that GFO can be combined with TP and ERS-2 and that the combination provides a significant improvement in the description of the mesoscale circulation.