Comparison of the spatial and radiometric resolution of ERS and Metop C-band radars

Anis Elyouncha, Xavier Neyt

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Abstract

ERS-1/2 and Metop-A/B satellites carry a very similar radars operating at similar frequencies (5.3/5.255 GHz) and same polarization (VV). However, the radars on-board the satellites of these two missions differ in the pulse waveform, bandwidth and slightly in geometry. Moreover, the on-board and the on-ground processing is different. This paper investigates the spatial and radiometric resolution of these radars and the resolution enhancement between ERS (1991-2011) and Metop (2006- ) missions. The spatial resolution assessment implies the computation and the comparison of the Spatial Response Function (SRF) of both systems. The SRF involves mainly the antenna gain pattern, the pulse waveform and the different on-board filtering stages. The radiometric resolution depends mainly on the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and the number of averaged independent samples (N). Furthermore, the correlation of the measurement samples in a resolution cell is computed to assess the independence assumption. The metric used to quantify the radiometric accuracy in scatterometry is called Kp which is the relative standard deviation. A comparison of Kp parameter extracted from the nominal products of the two missions confirms the expected performance based on the SNR, N and correlation analysis.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRemote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, Coastal Waters, and Large Water Regions 2014
EditorsXavier Neyt, Charles R. Bostater, Stelios P. Mertikas
PublisherSociety of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers
Number of pages13
ISBN (Electronic)9781628413038
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014
EventRemote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, Coastal Waters, and Large Water Regions 2014 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
Duration: 24 Sept 201425 Sept 2014

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume9240
ISSN (Print)0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

Conference

ConferenceRemote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, Coastal Waters, and Large Water Regions 2014
Country/TerritoryNetherlands
CityAmsterdam
Period24/09/1425/09/14

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