| Summary: | Summarization: The dedicated calibration site for satellite radar altimeters in Gavdos has been operational as of 2004. The small island of Gavdos is located along a repeating ground track of Jason satellites (crossover point No 109 ascending and No. 18 descending pass and adjacent to Envisat), and where the altimeter and radiometer footprints do not experience significant land intrusion. The purpose of such permanent Cal/Val facility is to calibrate the sea-surface height and ancillary measurements made by the satellite as it passes overhead, by using observations from tide gauges, GPS, DORIS and other sensors directly placed under the satellite ground tracks. The successful launch of Jason-2 satellite (20 June, 2008) initiated its calibration-validation phase. This was achieved having the two satellites flying with less than one minute difference and in the same orbit. Using the Gavdos calibration facility the following have been determined: (1) the absolute altimeter bias of Jason-1 satellite for the cycles 209-259; using GDR-C data; (2) the absolute altimeter bias of Jason-2 satellite for the cycles 2-28 using GDR-A data (3) the inter- mission bias for the period July 2008 – January 2009. The expansion of the Gavdos Cal/Val facilities with the deployment of a new site in the south of Crete and along pass No. 109 is also presented in this work. Παρουσιάστηκε στο: SPIE, Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, and Land Water Regions 2009
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