Validation of Multisource Altimeter SWH Measurements for Climate Data Analysis in China’s Offshore Waters

Abstract

Climate data derived from long-term, multisource altimeter significant wave height (SWH) measurements are more valuable than those obtained from a single altimeter source. Such data facilitate exploration of long-term air–sea momentum transfer and more comprehensive investigation of weather system dynamics processes over the ocean. Despite the deployment of the first satellite in the Chinese Haiyang-2 (HY-2) series more than 12 years ago, validation and integration of SWH data from China’s offshore waters, derived using Chinese altimeters, have been limited. This study constructed a high-resolution, long-term, multisource gridded SWH climate dataset using along-track data from the HY-2 series, CFOSAT, Jason-2, Jason-3, and Cryosat-2 altimeters. Validation against observations from 31 buoys covering China’s offshore waters indicated that the SWH variances from HY-2A, HY-2B, HY-2C, CFOSAT, and Jason-3 altimeters correlated well with observations, with a temporal correlation coefficient of approximately 0.95 (except HY-2A, correlation: 0.89). These SWH measurements generally showed a robust linear relationship with the buoy data. Additionally, cross-calibration between Jason-3 and the HY-2A, HY-2B, HY-2C, and CFOSAT altimeters also demonstrated a typically linear relationship for SWH > 6.0 m. Using this relationship, the SWH data were linearly corrected and integrated into a 10 d mean, long-term, multisource altimeter gridded SWH dataset. Compared with in situ observations, the merged 10 d mean SWHs are more accurate and closely match the observations, with temporal correlation coefficients improving from 0.87 to 0.90 and bias decreasing from 0.28 to 0.03 m. The merged gridded SWHs effectively represent the local spatial distribution of SWH. This study revealed the importance of observational data in the process of merging and recalibrating long-term multisource altimeter SWH datasets, particularly before their application in specific ocean regions.