Coastal Assessment of Sentinel-6 Altimetry Data during the Tandem Phase with Jason-3

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of the coastal performances of Sentinel-6 and Jason-3 altimeters during their tandem phase, considering their different processing modes. We examine the measurements available in the standard geophysical data records (GDR) and also perform dedicated reprocessing using coastal retracking algorithms applied to the original waveforms. The performances are evaluated, taking into account the quality of retrievals (outlier analysis), their precision (along-track noise analysis), potential systematic biases, and accuracy (comparison against tide gauges). The official SAR altimetry product of Sentinel-6 demonstrates improved coastal monitoring capabilities compared to Jason-3, except for the remaining issues related to significant wave height, which have already been identified. These findings highlight the significance of dedicated coastal retracking algorithms for enhancing the capabilities of both traditional, pulse-limited altimeters and more recent developments utilizing SAR altimetry.