Accuracy of altimeter data in inner and coastal seas

Abstract

We carry out an inter-comparison of four different altimeters: Cryosat, Jason-2, Jason-3, and Sentinel-3. This inter-comparison is undertaken by checking the altimeter data against the wind and wave model results of a given area, the Mediterranean Sea, for a 1-year period. The four data sets are consistent for wind speed, but they show substantial differences with respect to wave heights. The verification of a Sentinel-3 pass close to the coast in the northern Adriatic Sea shows irregular, spiky, large, wave height values close to the coast. This problem worsens when using high-frequency altimeter data.