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 project to use near-real-time altimeter data from the TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-2 satellites to monitor Loop Current eddies and other circulation variability in the Gulf of Mexico.

Blended TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-2 Altimeter Data

• Latest sea surface height map.
• Latest sea surface height anomaly 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 of sea surface height maps.
• Archive of sea surface height anomaly maps.

Near-Real-Time Data Viewer

Interactively plot maps of the sea surface height or sea surface with superimposed velocity vectors in the Gulf of Mexico by accessing our data archive through an online data forms:

• Gulf of Mexico Near-Real-Time Data Viewer
• Gulf of Mexico Near-Real-Time Geostrophic Velocity Vector Data Viewer

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 with Sculp Drifters

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 large (approximately 1500 Kbytes for each month). These animations are placed on an ftp archive which may be accessed by following the links below:

• Monthly animations of the sea surface height.
• 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. We thank ESA for providing the ERS-2 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. We thank JPL for providing the TOPEX fast-delivery data, the JPL Earth Orbiter Systems Group for providing predicted T/P orbits, and John Blaha and Ronnie Vaughn of the NAVO Altimetry Data Fusion Center for enhancing the JPL product and producing T/P "Real-time" Geophysical Data Records.

CCAR Gulf of Mexico Home Page.

Page created and maintained by Bob Leben.