@article{PAR00013722,
  title = {{A}ssessment of {SARAL}/{A}lti{K}a wave height measurements relative to {B}uoy, {J}ason-2, and {C}ryosat-2 data},
  author = {{S}epulveda, {H}. {H}. and {Q}ueffeulou, {P}. and {A}rdhuin, {F}abrice},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{SARAL}/{A}lti{K}a {GDR}-{T} are analyzed to assess the quality of the significant wave height ({SWH}) measurements. {SARAL} along-track {SWH} plots reveal cases of erroneous data, more or less isolated, not detected by the quality flags. {T}he anomalies are often correlated with strong attenuation of the {K}a-band backscatter coefficient, sensitive to clouds and rain. {A} quality test based on the 1{H}z standard deviation is proposed to detect such anomalies. {F}rom buoy comparison, it is shown that {SARAL} {SWH} is more accurate than {J}ason-2, particularly at low {SWH}, and globally does not require any correction. {R}esults are better with open ocean than with coastal buoys. {T}he scatter and the number of outliers are much larger for coastal buoys. {SARAL} is then compared with {J}ason-2 and {C}ryosat-2. {T}he altimeter data are extracted from the global altimeter {SWH} {I}fremer data base, including specific corrections to calibrate the various altimeters. {T}he comparison confirms the high quality of {SARAL} {SWH}. {T}he 1{H}z standard deviation is much less than for {J}ason-2 and {C}ryosat-2, particularly at low {SWH}. {F}urthermore, results show that the corrections applied to {J}ason-2 and to {C}ryosat-2, in the data base, are efficient, improving the global agreement between the three altimeters.},
  keywords = {{R}adar altimeter ; significant wave height ; satellite ; {SARAL} ; {A}lti{K}a ; validation},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{M}arine {G}eodesy},
  volume = {38},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {449--465},
  ISSN = {0149-0419},
  year = {2015},
  DOI = {10.1080/01490419.2014.1000470},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/{PAR}00013722},
}