Open AccessSignature of Lighthouses, Ships, and Small Islands in Altimeter Waveforms
Author(s) -
Jean Tournadre
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of atmospheric and oceanic technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.774
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1520-0426
pISSN - 0739-0572
DOI - 10.1175/jtech2030.1
Subject(s) - altimeter , waveform , remote sensing , sea surface height , beacon , geology , backscatter (email) , scale (ratio) , geodesy , signature (topology) , meteorology , computer science , geography , telecommunications , radar , cartography , geometry , mathematics , wireless
High-rate (20 Hz) altimeter echo waveforms are particularly sensitive to small-scale changes of surface backscatter and they contain a wealth of information on the sea surface. A detailed analysis of these waveforms often reveals the signatures of objects that emerge from the sea. Such objects, such as beacons, lighthouses, ships, and small islands, have deterministic signatures that can be estimated using simple geometry. Examples of signatures of ships, beacons, and islands in the TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason altimeters waveforms are presented and analyzed. Some potential applications are also presented.