Gulf of Mexico Near Real-Time Altimeter Data Home Page

Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research
Dept. of Aerospace Engineering Sciences University of Colorado, Boulder

Introduction

This page presents results from an ongoing pilot project to use near real-time altimeter data from the ERS-1 and TOPEX/Poseidon satellites to monitor Loop Current eddies and other circulation variability in the Gulf of Mexico.

Updating of this page has been suspended!!!!

This page exists for archival purposes only. Near real-time maps are now being produced using both TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-2 data. See the Gulf of Mexico Near Real-Time Altimeter Data Home Page.

Preliminary ERS-1 Results

Every three days updated maps of the sea surface topography in the Gulf of Mexico are created. Sea surface height anomalies are estimated by referencing the corrected sea surface height relative to an accurate mean sea surface. Maps produced using data referenced in this manner show only circulation anomalies. The sea surface height deflection caused by mean currents such as the Loop Current are absent from these maps. An estimate of the total sea surface height is made by adding the mean circulation calculated using a numerical ocean model of the Gulf of Mexico. The latest maps may be found by selecting the links below: .

• Latest sea surface height anomaly map.
• Latest sea surface height map.
• Both maps.

Archives of the near real-time maps produced to date are stored on ftp and may be accessed by following the links below:

• Archive for sea surface height maps.
• Archive for sea surface height anomaly maps.

Animations

Animations are created from the near real-time maps for the current month. These movies are in MPEG format and may be accessed using the links below:

• Animation of the sea surface height maps to date for current month.
• Animation of sea surface height anomaly maps to date for current month.

Year to date and monthly animations also are created from the near real-time maps for each complete month to date. These movies are in MPEG format and are approximately 500 Kbytes for each month. These animations are placed on an ftp archive which may be accessed by following the links below:

• Year to date and monthly animations of the sea surface height.
• Year to date and monthly animations of the sea surface height anomaly.

Acknowledgments

Near real-time altimetry requires the concerted effort of a large number of individuals and organizations. For help producing our ERS-1 real-time products, we thank ESA for providing the radar altimeter fast-delivery data, Delft University of Technology for providing predicted orbits, and John Lillibridge and Bob Cheney of the NOAA Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry for enhancing the ESA product and producing the NOAA "Real-time" Geophysical Data Records.

CCAR Gulf of Mexico Home Page.

Page created and maintained by Bob Leben.

visitors since 3/15/96.