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Instrument details
Acronym
SRAL
Full name
Synthetic aperture Radar Altimeter
Purpose
Ocean and ice topography, significant wave height, wind speed on sea surface
Short description
Dual-frequency (5.4 and 13.58 GHz); SAR capability along-track for high spatial resolution
Background
Evolution of SIRAL flown on CryoSat-2
Scanning Technique
No scanning. SAR mode possible to be activated, depending on the target area
Resolution
20 km IFOV. When used in SAR mode, the along-track resolution is 300 m
Coverage / Cycle
Global coverage in 1 month for 30 km average spacing, or in 10 days for 100 km average spacing
Mass
60 kg
Power
90 W
Data Rate
100 kbps, 12 Mbps (SAR)
Providing Agency
ESA
Instrument Maturity
Backed by strong heritage
Utilization Period:
2016-07-13 to ≥2023
Last update:
2021-10-02
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on
Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a
green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates
future satellites
Instrument classification
Earth observation instrument Active and radio-occultation sensor Radar altimeter
WIGOS Subcomponents
Subcomponent 1 Conventional radar altimeter Subcomponent 2 Ionospheric total electron content sensor [at LEO and cross magnetosphere]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives Geoid Ocean dynamic topography Significant wave height Secondary mission objectives Coastal sea level (tide) Gravity field Sea-ice elevation Sea-ice thickness Opportunity objectives Ionospheric Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) Wind speed (near surface) Show all Show fewer
Tentative Evaluation of Measurements
The following list indicates which measurements can typically be
retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable,
click on the respective variable.
Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Variable Relevance for measuring this variable Operational limitations Explanation
Coastal sea level (tide) 2 - very high Along-track only. Dual-frequency radar altimeter: Ku-band and supporting S-band or C-band to correct for ionospheric rotation
Geoid 2 - very high Long time series needed.. Along-track only. Geoid derived from multi-temporal analysis of radar altimetry data
Gravity field 4 - fair Partial information (geoid).. Along-track only. Gravity field derived from multi-temporal analysis of radar altimetry data
Ocean dynamic topography 2 - very high Long time for mapping.. Along-track only. Dual-freqency altimeter: Ku-band and supporting S-band or C-band to correct for ionospheric rotation
Sea-ice elevation 2 - very high Along-track only. Ku-band radar altimeter with supporting S- or C-band and along-track SAR capability for accurate ice border detection and differential ice-sea height measurement
Sea-ice thickness 2 - very high Change detection only.. Along-track only. Ku-band radar altimeter with supporting S- or C-band and along-track SAR capability for accurate ice border detection and differential ice-sea height measurement. Thickness inferred by ice model
Significant wave height 2 - very high Along-track only. Ku-band radar altimeter
Wind speed (near surface) 5 - marginal Over sea only.. Along-track only. Radar altimeter. Wind speed estimated from the intensity of the backscattered signals
Ionospheric Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) 4 - fair Along-track only. Dual-frequency altimeter: Ku-band and supporting S-band or C-band to correct for ionospheric rotation
Instrument: SRAL