The CNES_CLS11 Global Mean Sea Surface Computed from 16 Years of Satellite Altimeter Data

Abstract

This article focuses on the determination and the validation of the new Mean Sea Surface from the CNES/CLS. This new model merges multiple satellite altimeters over 16 years of observations. Particular attention was paid on the analysis of the oceanic variability. Then a novel method was applied to remove this variability and to take into account different kinds of errors that affect the data. Several types of validations were performed to estimate the quality of the shortest topographic structures and to quantify the accuracy of the mean oceanic content at a larger scale.

Keywords:

• Mean Sea Surface
• ocean variability
• altimetry

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the SALP project (Service d’Altimétrieet Localisation Précise) from CNES. The CNES_CLS11 MSS can be downloaded from http://www.aviso.oceanobs.com/.