Satellite altimetry

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Abstract
During the past four years satellite altimetry activities have been primarily concerned with analyses of the GEOS‐3 and Seasat data sets, and the justification and design of next generation altimetric missions and associated instrumentation.Since the last IUGG Quadrennial review of satellite altimetry [Stanley, 1979a], considerable documentation of altimetric engineering and scientific results has occurred. There has been a special issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research [JGR Vol. 84, B8, 1979] dedicated to scientific results from GEOS‐3. A special issue of Marine Geodesy [Vol. 3, 1980] contains numerous papers on the analysis of altimeter data presented at an International Symposium on Interaction of Marine Geodesy and Ocean Dynamics. A special issue of the IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering [OE‐5(2), April 1980] contains a discussion of Seasat sensors and attendant processing algorithms. A special issue of the Journal of the Astronautical Sciences [28(4), Oct‐Dec 1980] was devoted to the problem of orbit determination for Seasat; a subject of importance to users of satellite altimeter data. A special issue of the JGR [Vol. 87, C5, 1982] was dedicated to Seasat geophysical processing algorithms and evaluation. A second Seasat JGR special issue dedicated to scientific results will be published in early 1983, and a special issue of Marine Geodesy devoted to satellite altimetry also will be published in 1983.This review presents a summary of the geodetic applications of altimeter data, precision orbit determination analyses, the status of the instrumentation and the plans for future altimeter missions. A review of the applications of altimetry to oceanography, including mesoscale current detection and variability, wind and waves, ocean tides and ice is presented in a separate paper by Brown and Cheney [1983].