Benefit of a second calibration phase to estimate the relative global
and regional mean sea level drifts between Jason-3 and Sentinel-6a
Abstract
The originality of this study is to propose a new calibration method
based on two calibration phases between Jason-3 and Sentinel-6A (S6A) to
better estimate the relative global and regional mean sea level drifts
between the two missions. To date, a first calibration phase of
approximately 11 months is planned from January 15, 2021, to December
31, 2021, when both satellites will be on the same orbit spaced out by
approximately 1 minute. This calibration will allow for a very accurate
assessment of the GMSL bias between Jason-3 and S6A (less than 0.5 mm,
see Zawadzki and Ablain, 2016). A second calibration phase after a
few years would reduce the uncertainty levels of the GMSL (global mean
seal level) drift estimate. The uncertainty would be low enough to
detect any drift detrimental to the stability of the current GMSL
record. It would indeed be possible to evaluate the stability between
the two satellites with an accuracy at least 3 times better at the
global scale than with the most accurate method to date. At regional
scales, the second calibration phases would provide regional MSL drift
estimates with very good precision. This study also shows that the time
spent between the two calibration phases is significantly more sensitive
than the length of the second calibration phase for the reduction in
uncertainties. Finally, a possible scenario proposed by this study would
consist of carrying out the beginning of the second calibration phase
approximately 1.5-2 years after the first and for a duration of 3-4
months. This calibration would allow the detection of a relative GMSL
drift of approximately 0.15 mm/yr and 0.4-0.5 mm/yr at oceanic basin
scales (2000-4000 km).