We present a new gridded sea surface height and current dataset produced by combining observations from nadir altimeters and drifting buoys. This product is based on a multiscale and multivariate mapping approach that offers the possibility to improve the physical content of gridded products by combining the data from various platforms and resolving a broader spectrum of ocean surface dynamic than in the current operational mapping system. A quality assessment of this new product is presented.

An altimeter sea level along-track level-3 product with a 5 Hz (~1.2 km) sampling is proposed. It takes advantage of recent advances in radar altimeter processing, and improvements made to different stages of the processing chain. Compared to the conventional 1 Hz (~7 km) product, it significantly improves the observability of the short wavelength signal in open ocean and near coast areas (> 5 km). It also contributes to improving high resolution numerical model outputs via data assimilation.

The SSH analysis and 7 d forecast error will be globally reduced by almost 50 %. Surface current forecast errors should be equivalent to today’s surface current analysis errors or alternatively will be improved (variance error reduction) by 30 % at the surface and 50 % for 300 m depth. The resolution capabilities will be drastically improved and will be closer to 100 km wavelength as opposed to today where they are above 250 km (on average).

The signature of internal tides has become an important component for high-resolution altimetry over oceans. Several studies have proposed some solutions to resolve part of these internal tides based on the altimetry record. Following these studies, we propose here a new inversion approach aimed to mitigate aliasing with other dynamics. After a description of the methodology, the solution for the main tidal components has been successfully validated against independent observations.

The new global Mesoscale Eddy Trajectory Atlases (META3.1exp) provide eddy identification and trajectories from altimetry maps. These atlases comprise an improvement to and continuation of the historical META2.0 product. Changes in the detection parameters and tracking were tested by comparing the eddies from the different datasets. In particular, the eddy contours available in META3.1exp are an asset for multi-disciplinary studies.

We investigate how mapping sea level in the Arctic Ocean can benefit from combining data from three satellite radar altimeters: CryoSat-2, Sentinel-3A and SARAL/AltiKa. A dedicated processing for SARAL/AltiKa provides a baseline for the cross-referencing of CryoSat-2 and Sentinel-3A before mapping. We show that by combining measurements coming from three missions, we are able to increase the resolution of gridded sea level fields in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean.

Satellite altimetry has revolutionized ocean observation by allowing the sea level to be monitored with very good spatiotemporal coverage. However, only the sea level anomalies are retrieved; to monitor the whole oceanic signal a temporal mean (called mean dynamic topography, MDT) must be added to these anomalies. In this study we present the newly updated CNES-CLS18 MDT. An evaluation of this new solution shows significant improvements in both strong currents and coastal areas.

Since the mid-1990s, a series of FES (finite element solution) global ocean tidal atlases has been produced with the primary objective to provide altimetry missions with a tidal de-aliasing correction. We describe the underlying hydrodynamic/data assimilation design and accuracy assessments for the FES2014 release. The FES2014 atlas shows overall improved performance and has consequently been integrated in satellite altimetry and gravimetric data processing and adopted in ITRF standards.

Internal tides can have a signature of several centimeters at the ocean surface and need to be corrected from altimeter measurements. We present a detailed validation of several internal-tide models using existing satellite altimeter databases. The analysis focuses on the main diurnal and semidiurnal tidal constituents. Results show the interest of the methodology proposed, the quality of the internal-tide models tested and their positive contribution for estimating an accurate sea level.

This study provides for the first time estimates of sea level anomalies very close to the coastline based on high-resolution retracked altimetry data, as well as corresponding sea level trends, over a 14-year time span. This new information has so far not been provided by standard altimetry data.

This paper deals with sea level altimetery products. These geophysical data are distributed as along-track and gridded data through Copernicus programs CMEMS and C3S. We present in detail a new reprocessing of the data (DT2018) from 1993 to 2017. The main changes and their impacts since the last version (DT2014) are carefully discussed. This comparison is made using an independent dataset. DT2018 sea level products are improved at the global and regional scale, especially in coastal areas.

A description of the uncertainties in the Global Mean Sea Level (GMSL) record has been performed; 25 years of satellite altimetry data were used to estimate the error variance–covariance matrix for the GMSL record to derive its confidence envelope. Then a least square approach was used to estimate the GMSL trend and acceleration uncertainties over any time periods. A GMSL trend of 3.35 ± 0.4 mm/yr and a GMSL acceleration of 0.12 ± 0.07 mm/yr² have been found within a 90 % confidence level.

The Sea surface KInematics Multiscale (SKIM) monitoring mission is a proposal for a future satellite that is designed to measure ocean currents and waves. Using a Doppler radar, the accurate measurement of currents requires the removal of the mean velocity due to ocean wave motions. This paper describes the main processing steps needed to produce currents and wave data from the radar measurements. With this technique, SKIM can provide unprecedented coverage and resolution, over the global ocean.

Mean sea level (MSL) is a prominent indicator of climatic change, and is therefore of great scientific and societal interest. Since the beginning of the altimeter mission TOPEX/Poseidon and its successors Jason-1 and Jason-2, MSL products became essential for climate applications. Since 1995, a suspicious signal is apparent in the corresponding MSL record. Since 2010, scientific teams have been working on reducing this error. This paper assesses, characterizes and quantifies this reduction.

Field campaigns are instrumental in providing ground truth for understanding and modeling global ocean biogeochemical budgets. A survey however can only inspect a fraction of the global oceans, typically a region hundreds of kilometers wide for a temporal window of the order of (at most) several weeks. In this spatiotemporal domain, mesoscale variability can mask climatological contrasts. Here we propose the use of multisatellite-based Lagrangian diagnostics to solve this issue.

We investigate the impact of the ocean geothermal heating (OGH) on a glacial ocean state using numerical simulations. We found that the OGH is a significant forcing of the abyssal ocean and thermohaline circulation. Applying the OGH warms the Antarctic Bottom Water by ~0.4°C and strengthens the deep circulation by 15% to 30%. The geothermally heated waters are advected from the Indo-Pacific to the North Atlantic basin, indirectly favouring the deep convection in the North Atlantic.

This paper presents various respective data improvements achieved within the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (ESA CCI) project on sea level during its first phase (2010-2013), using multi-mission satellite altimetry data over the 1993-2010 time span.