The long-term sea level change during 1993 to 2008 was investigated in the Malaysian seas from satellite altimetry data of the TOPEX, JASON-1, ERS-1, ERS-2 and ENVISAT missions. Sea level data retrieval and reduction were carried out using the radar altimeter database system (RADS). In RADS data processing, the 2008 updated environmental and geophysical corrections were applied. Six 1° × 1° are...

We examine the issue of sustained measurements of sea level in the coastal zone, first by summarizing the long-term observations from tide gauges, then showing how those are now complemented by improved satellite altimetry products in the coastal ocean. We present some of the progresses in coastal altimetry, both from dedicated reprocessing of the radar waveforms and from the development of imp...

The objective of this study is to determine spatio-temporal variations of water volume over inundated areas located in large river basins using combined observations from the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) onboard the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite (JERS1), the Topex/Poseidon (T/P) altimetry satellite, and in-situ hydrographic stations. Ultimately, the goal is to quantify the role of floodp...

Measurements of Mercurian topography based on Arecibo radar observations are presented. The data, which were obtained from 1978 to 1984, cover much of the equatorial zone of Mercury between 12øN and 5øS latitude. Over thirty continuous altitude profiles were obtained, each spanning from 20 to 90 degrees of longitude at a resolution of 0.15 ø (longitude) by 2.5 ø (latitude). Radar depths for lar...

This study demonstrates the use of satellite radar altimetry to detect solid Earth deformation signals such as Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). Our study region covers moderately flat land surfaces seasonally covered by snow/ice/vegetation. The maximum solid Earth uplift of ~10 mm yr-1 is primarily due to the incomplete glacial isostatic rebound that occurs around Hudson Bay, North America. ...

The accuracy of satellite altimetric measurements of sea level is limited in part by the influence of ocean waves on the altimeter signal reflected from the sea surface. The difference between the mean reflecting surface and mean sea level is the electromagnetic bias. The bias is poorly known, yet for such altimetric satellite missions as the Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon it is the lar...

The Kirchhoo approximation is used to determine the sea state bias in radar altimetry. A weakly nonlinear model of the sea waves is used to derive the joint moments of two diierent points separated by a distance ~ R; the bias moment is formulated, and found for power law spectra. The method provides a consistent analysis of the sea state bias and avoids the need to trun-cate the high frequency ...

Wetlands are important ecosystems playing an essential role for continental water regulation and the hydrologic cycle. Moreover, they are sensitive to climate changes as well as anthropogenic influences, such as land-use or dams. However, the monitoring of these regions is challenging as they are normally located in remote areas without in situ measurement stations. Radar altimetry provides imp...

Satellite altimetry has revolutionized the study of the global oceans for the past two decades. Precision altimetry missions like TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, and OSTM/Jason­ 2, complemented by other missions like ERS 1 and 2, ENVISAT, and GFO, have provided unprecedented observations of the ocean surface topography at scales larger than about 200 km and made significant advances in our understandi...

This study presents an approach to determining the volume of water in small lakes (< 100 ha) by combining satellite altimetry data and high-resolution (HR) images. In spite of the strong interest in monitoring surface water resources on a small scale using radar altimetry and satellite imagery, no information is available about the limits of the remote-sensing technologies for small lakes mainl...