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SAMOSA (SAR Altimetry MOde Studies and Applications)

News:

New Online and On Demand CryoSat-2 SAR FBR data processing service (see CP4O data pages)

Introduction:
SAMOSA is an ESA-funded project to study ocean and inland water applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mode (or Delay Doppler mode) altimetry.
The Cryosat-2 mission is the first to operate a SAR mode Altimeter, primarily designed to make measurements over the earth’s polar regions.  The Sentinel–3 Surface Topography Mission altimeter will be able to operate in SAR mode over the ocean, and will aim to achieve high–resolution high–accuracy altimetric mapping over the ocean in regions of high mesoscale variability and in coastal areas, and also over inland waters.
The SAMOSA project was initiated in 2007 to investigate the improvements that SAR mode altimetry can offer in measurements over ocean, coastal and inland water surfaces, developing practical implementation of new theoretical models for the SAR echo waveform as part of this process.

Now available SAMOSA-3 Configuration Control page

SAMOSA Project team

SAMOSA Project Description

Presentations and papers

Project Deliverables

SAMOSA Project team

The SAMOSA team is led by SatOC, and includes the National Oceanography Centre (UK), STARLAB (Spain), De Montfort University (UK), and DTU-Space (Denmark). We are also very fortunate to have received expert guidance from Dr Keith Raney of Johns Hopkins University (USA).

SAMOSA Project Description

The Project has been carried out in two phases

Phase 1 2007-2009

In this first phase, completed before any Cryosat-2 data were available, the project team:
-    Compiled a state of the art review of the current knowledge on Delay Doppler / SAR mode altimetry over water surfaces,
-    Carried out a number of computer simulations with the CRYOSAT Mission Performance Simulator (CRYMPS) to investigate how SAR Mode altimetry performance over the open and coastal ocean, of small spatial scale sea floor topography, and of inland waters.
-    Carried out a thorough investigation into the nature of the SAR mode waveform over the open ocean and developed a new theoretical model for the SAR mode waveform over the ocean.
-    Built a new prototype SAR re-tracker and tested it with simulated data. The new SAR ocean re-tracker was found to perform well, providing a good fit to the CRYMPS multi-looked SAR waveforms.
-    Carried out an initial assessment of airborne SAR data, developed an approach for comparing airborne and satellite SAR mode data, and established guidelines for future campaigns.

Phase 2 2009-2011

Work in phase 2 is building on the theoretical understanding and practical experience gained in Phase 1, in order to develop algorithms and tools needed for the CryoSat-2 and Sentinel-3 missions and to provide improved estimates of the expected performance of the SAR mode altimeter over water surfaces. The main aspects are:
-    Devising and testing a methodology to generate SAR mode products to Low Rate mode equivalent products, and so to evaluate CRYMPS products for constant sea-state
-    Research and develop ocean waveform theory for the complex ocean surface and to develop algorithms for practical application on data from Cryosat-2 and Sentinel-3
-    To analyse the expected performance of the SAR mode altimeter through the use of realistic simulations and application of early Cryosat-2 data
-    Develop a Detailed Processing Model for an ocean re-tracker to be applied to Level 1B SAR mode data
-    Carry out further analyses on the potential of SAR mode altimetry over inland waters

Final Project Meeting

The Final Project Meeting was held at ESRIN, Frascati on 19 May 2011. Click on highlighted links for the minutes and a zip archive of the presentations (7.8MB).

Also Dr Keith Raney offered a commentary on the SAMOSA project and an annotated bibliography of key papers on the development of altimetry, and delay Doppler or SAR Mode, altimetry (updated in October 2014).

Presentations and papers

Below we list all the scientific papers and conference presentations which include results from the SAMOSA project.

SAR altimetry numerical simulations over water surfaces

Gommenginger, C., Cipollini, P., Martin-Puig, C., Marquez, J., Cotton, P.D., Raney, K.R., and  Benveniste, J.

EGU General Assembly 2008, Vienna, Austria, 13-18 April 2008. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 10, EGU2008-A-08929, 2008.

SAR Altimetry Applications over Water 

Martin-Puig, C., Marquez, J., Ruffini, G., Raney, K.R., and Benveniste, J.

ESA SeaSAR Workshop, 21-25 January 2008.

New Theoretical Model of SAR Altimeter Signal over Water Surfaces

Martin-Puig, C., Marquez, J., Ruffini, G., Cotton, P.D., Gommenginger, G., Challenor, P.G., Raney, K.R., and Benveniste, J.,

IGARSS, 7-11 July 2008. (abstract)

Investigating the Application of Synthetic Aperture Altimetry over oceans, coastal and inland waters

Cotton, P.D., Benveniste, J., Andersen O., Stenseng, L., Berry, P., Cipollini, P., Gommenginger, G., Martin-Puig, C., and Raney, K.R.

EGU 2009 General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 20-24 April 2009. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 11, EGU2009-10680, 2009.

Assessing the Altimetric Precision of Delay Doppler Altimetry Over the Ocean With Numerical Simulations From the Cryosat Mission Performance Simulator

Gommenginger, C., Martin-Puig, C., Cotton, P.D., Raney, K.R., and Benveniste, J.

IGARSS July 12-17 2009.

A prototype SAR altimeter retracker to assess the precision of SAR altimetry over the ocean.

Gommenginger, C., Martin-Puig, C., Cotton, P.D., Dinardo, S., and Benveniste, J.

ESA SeaSAR Workshop 25-29 January 2010

SAR Altimetry Over Water Surfaces

Martin-Puig, C., Andersen O., Berry, P., Cipollini, P., Cotton, P.D., Gommenginger, Ruffini, G., G., Stenseng, L., Benveniste, J., and Dinardo, S.

(Poster) Oceans from Space – Venice 2010, Venice, Italy, 26-30 April 2010. (Abstract in proceedings,  pp. 161-162).

On the altimetric performance of the Sentinel-3 SAR-mode altimeter over the ocean: a numerical study

Gommenginger, C., Martin-Puig, C., Dinardo, S., Raney, K. R., Cotton, P.D., and Benveniste, J.

EGU 2010 General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 2-7 May 2010. (Poster)

CryoSat-2: From SAR FBR to LRM for quantitative precision comparison over identical sea state

Martin-Puig, C., Marquez, J., and Gommenginger, C.

ESA Living Planet Symposium 28 June – 2 July 2010. (abstract)

The SAMOSA Project: Assessing the Potential Improvements offered by SAR Altimetry Over the Open Ocean, Coastal Waters, Rivers and Lakes.

Cotton, P.D., Andersen O., Berry, P., Cipollini, P., Gommenginger, G., Martin-Puig, C., Stenseng, L., Benveniste, J., and Dinardo, S.

ESA Living Planet Symposium 28 June – 2 July 2010.

Cryosat SAR-Mode Looks Revisited

R.K. Raney

ESA Living Planet Symposium 28 June – 2 July 2010.

From SAR to LRM (FBR) for Quantitative Precision Comparison Over Identical Sea State

Martin-Puig, C., Marquez, J., Ruffini, G., Raney, K.R., and Gommenginger, C.

COSPAR 18-25 July 2010. (abstract)

On The Range Retrieval Performance Of Delay Doppler Altimeters Over The Ocean And In The Coastal Zone: A Numerical Study.

Gommenginger, C.

COSPAR 18-25 July 2010. (abstract)

Improved spatial resolution and range retrieval accuracy with SAR altimeters over the ocean and the coastal zone: a numerical study.

Gommenginger, C.

Altimetry for Oceans and Hydrology OST-ST Meeting 18-22 October 2010

On the Performance of CryoSat-2 SAR Mode over Water Surfaces

Gommenginger, C.

Cryosat 2011 Workshop, ESRIN, Frascati, 1-3 February 2011

First Results of Recovery of Short Wavelength Gravity Field Signals from CryoSat-2 Data.

Stenseng, L. and Andersen, O. A.

Cryosat 2011 Workshop, ESRIN, Frascati, 1-3 February 2011

An Open Ocean Retracker for Sentinel-3 and Cryosat Altimeter Waveforms

Gommenginger, G., Martin-Puig, C., Dinardo, S., Raney, K.R. Cotton, P.D., and Benveniste, J

EGU 2011 General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 03-08 April 2011. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 13, EGU2011-3742-1, 2011. (abstract)

Road-Mapping The Way Forward For Sentinel-3 Topography Mission Sar-Mode Waveform Retracking Over Water Surfaces (ppt)

Benveniste, J., Cotton, D., Dinardo, S., Lucas, B.M., Martin-Puig, C., Ray, C., Gommenginger, C.

39th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, 2012

Road-Mapping The Way Forward For Sentinel-3 STM SAR-Mode Waveform Retracking over Water Surfaces (pdf abstract)

Benveniste, J., Cotton, D., Dinardo, S., Lucas, B.M., Martin-Puig, C., Ray, C., Gommenginger, C.

EGU General Assembly, Vienna 2013

Exploitation of the ENVISAT radar altimeter Individual echoes and S-band for ocean, coastal zone, land and ice/sea-ice altimetry (RAIES)

Gommenginger , C., and Quartly , G.

Third and Final Contract Change Note update of NOC RAIES Technical Note on Task 5 "Scientific Exploitation of Individual Echoes for Ocean applications". NOC consultancy report No.NOC/RAIES.IEOcean/CCN_Update03 for ESA Contract 17900/03/I-LG. December 2007, 55 pp., 2007.

Exploitation of the ENVISAT radar altimeter individual echoes and S-band data for ocean, coastal zone, land and ice/sea ice altimetry (RAIES), Task 6: Scientific applications of S-band data.

Challenor, P. G., Gommenginger, C. P., Quartly, G. D., Gomez-Enri, J., Srokosz, M. A., Caltabiano, A., Berry, P. A. M., Mathers, L., Garlick, J., Cotton, P. D., and Carter, D.

ESA Contract 17900/03/I-LG. Southampton Oceanography Centre Research and Consultancy Report, No. 94, 2004.

Project deliverables

Below are the final project deliverables, where links are indicated they are freely available to download. The other project deliverables remain proprietary information and are available only to ESA and members of the project team.

Phase 1

WP1 - Development of SAR Altimetry Mode Studies over Ocean, Coastal Zones and Inland Water - State of the Art Assessment

WP2 - Range Error as a Function of Significant Wave Height (NOCS)

WP3 - Recovery of short wavelength geophysical signals and short spatial scale sea surface height / slope signals (DNSC)

WP4 - Theoretical Model for SAR Altimeter mode processed echoes over ocean surfaces (STARLAB) - Proprietary information : not available for download

WP5 - New Re-tracking Method Over Water
(a) SAR Altimeter re-tracker performance bound over water surfaces (STARLAB) - Proprietary information : not available for download
(b) Development and Testing of SAR Altimeter waveform theoretical retracker (NOCS)- Proprietary information : not available for download

WP6 - Improvement of Capabilities for Coastal Zones, Estuaries, Rivers and Lakes
(a) DMU Study on Inland Waters and Coastal Zone- Proprietary information : not available for download
(b) NOCS Study on Oceanographic Features in the Coastal Zone.

WP7- Assessment of ENVISAT RA2 Individual Echoes over Ocean (NOCS)

WP8 - Validation using Airborne ASIRAS data (DNSC)


Phase 2

Digital Processing Module for SAR mode level 1b Ocean Re-tracker

RDSAR Executable SW and Documentation

Promotional slide presentation on SAR mode altimetry

Technical Note on RDSAR and LRM data, including assessment of range retrieval accuracy

Technical Note on ASIRAS Waveforms re-tracking

Report on the potential of CryoSat-2 to retrieve hydrological variables from complex river targets

Technical Note on Theoretical Model for SAR Altimeter Waveform

Technical Note on Improvements in SAMOSA SARAlt Retracker performance in low SWH conditions

Technical Note on theoretical assessment of Improvements from refined waveform model

Technical Note on range retrieval performance with new SAR re-tracker

Final Project Report

© Satellite Oceanographic Consultants Ltd 2012