CALIBRATION OF THE TOPEX ALTIMETER USING A GPS BUOY

The use of a spar buoy equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna to calibrate the height measurement of the TOPEX radar altime ter is described. In order to determine the height of the GPS antenna phase center above the ocean surface, the buoy was also equipped with instrumentation to measure the instantaneous location of the waterline , and tilt of the buoy from vertical. The experiment was conducted off the California coast near the Texaco offshore oil platform, Harvest, during cycle 34 of the TOPEX/POSEIDON observational period. GPS soluti ons were computed for the buoy position using two different software p ackages, K&RS and GIPSY-OASIS II. These solutions were combined with e stimates of the waterline location on the buoy to yield the height of the ocean surface. The ocean surface height in an absolute coordinate system combined with knowledge of the spacecraft height from tracking data provides a computed altimeter range measurement. By comparing thi s computed value to the actual altimeter measurement, the altimeter bi as can be calibrated. The altimeter height bias obtained with the buoy using K&RS was -14.6+/-4 cm, while with GIPSY-OASIS II it was -13.1+/ -4 cm. These are 0.1 cm and 1.6 cm different from the -14.7+/-4 cm res ult obtained for this overflight with the tide gauge instruments locat ed on Platform Harvest.