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| AVISO Satellite Altimetry | |
|---|---|
| Name | AVISO Satellite Altimetry |
| Agency | Centre National d'Études Spatiales; Collecte Localisation Satellites; European Space Agency |
| Established | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Toulouse |
| Mission type | Satellite altimetry data processing and dissemination |
| Website | AVISO+ (not linked) |
AVISO Satellite Altimetry AVISO Satellite Altimetry is a coordinated program for processing, archiving, and distributing satellite altimetry data that supports oceanography, climate research, and operational ocean services. The program bridges remote sensing missions and in situ observing systems by providing geophysical corrections, gridded sea surface height fields, and derived products for scientific and operational users. AVISO interacts with European and international institutions to integrate altimetry with marine arrays, reanalysis projects, and ocean forecasting systems.
AVISO serves as a nexus between major space agencies and marine observing networks including Centre National d'Études Spatiales, European Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and regional organizations like Mercator Ocean. It ingests radar altimeter data from missions such as Topex/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, Jason-3, Sentinel-3A, and CryoSat-2 and links outputs to programs including Global Ocean Observing System, Argo (oceanography), World Climate Research Programme, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. AVISO products inform initiatives led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Ifremer, and National Centre for Atmospheric Research.
The program originated in the early 1990s after cooperative missions like Topex/Poseidon demonstrated the value of precise sea level measurements for El Niño–Southern Oscillation and mesoscale eddy research. Early development involved partnerships among CNES, NASA, and European entities; milestones include the operationalization coincident with Jason-1 launches and expansion during the Jason-2 era. Over time AVISO incorporated data stewardship practices from Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and standards influenced by Group on Earth Observations. Institutional contributors include Collecte Localisation Satellites and Mercator Ocean International which helped transition AVISO outputs into operational oceanography and climate monitoring frameworks.
AVISO processes observations from radar altimeters such as those aboard Topex/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, Jason-3, Sentinel-3A, Sentinel-3B, Envisat, CryoSat-2, and earlier platforms like ERS-1 and ERS-2. Instruments include pulse-limited and synthetic aperture altimeters developed by manufacturers and agencies including Thales Alenia Space and EADS Astrium. AVISO workflows incorporate orbit solutions from International GNSS Service, precise orbit determination centers like CNES/CLS and Goddard Space Flight Center, and radiometer-derived wet troposphere corrections often linked to instruments from Special Sensor Microwave/Imager heritage missions. Products integrate corrections for tides from global tidal models such as those developed at University of Hawaii and NOAA/NOS.
AVISO produces time series of sea surface height, absolute dynamic topography, geostrophic currents, and mesoscale eddy statistics using processing chains established with input from CLS (company), LEGOS, and CMEMS. Key products include delayed-time and near-real-time along-track altimeter datasets, gridded maps (often on a 1/4° or 1/8° grid), and multi-mission merged products used by IPCC modelers and climate services such as Copernicus. Processing steps apply corrections for atmospheric path delays, sea state bias, instrumental drift, and geophysical tides, relying on models and datasets from ECMWF, JPL, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. AVISO also supplies altimeter-derived sea level anomaly climatologies and trend estimates used in sea level rise assessments.
AVISO outputs have underpinned studies of sea level rise, ocean circulation, Western Boundary Currents, Gulf Stream, Kuroshio Current, Agulhas Current, and mesoscale processes like eddies and rings described in work by Robert C. Rhines and Walter H. F. Smith. The datasets support monitoring of El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Indian Ocean Dipole, and extreme events such as Hurricane Katrina through sea level and storm surge analyses. AVISO-enabled research has contributed to climate syntheses by IPCC authors, regional assessments by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and operational forecasting by Mercator Ocean, NOAA, Copernicus Marine Service, and institutes including Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Derived products feed into biogeochemical studies at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and ecosystem assessments by ICES.
AVISO distributes data through portals and services aligned with Copernicus Marine Service, archival centers like CMEMS and national data centers, and supports access protocols used by Open Geospatial Consortium standards. Tools and visualization resources integrate with software such as Python (programming language), MATLAB, Panoply, and interactive platforms hosted by Mercator Ocean International and ESA. Users include researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, operational forecasters at NOAA/NDBC, and climate analysts at Met Office and University of Southampton. AVISO also collaborates with educational institutes like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Universidad de Cádiz for capacity building.
Limitations include sampling gaps due to repeat cycle spacing originating from mission orbits like those of Topex/Poseidon and Jason series, measurement noise influenced by sea state and wet troposphere variability, and altitude biases related to instrument calibration and drift documented by teams at JPL and CNES. Validation relies on cross-comparisons with tide gauges from national networks including PSMSL, in situ profiles from Argo (oceanography), and independent altimeter intercalibration exercises conducted by GLOSS and IOCCG-related studies. Uncertainty quantification uses statistical frameworks developed at LEGOS, Ifremer, and CLS (company) and is routinely reported to stakeholders including IPCC and Copernicus.