Calibration of Ocean Wave Measurements by the TOPEX, Jason-1, and Jason-2 Satellites

The calibration and validation of ocean wave height measurements by the TOPEX, Jason-1, and Jason-2 satellite altimeters are addressed by comparing the measurements internally among themselves and against independent wave measurements at moored buoys. The two six-month verification campaigns, when two of the satellites made near-simultaneous measurements along the same ground track, show the two Jason satellites to be remarkably consistent, while Topex reports waves generally 12% larger. External calibration is complicated by some systematic errors in the buoy data. We confirm that Canadian buoys underestimate significant wave heights by about 10% relative to U.S. buoys. Wave heights from all three altimetric satellites require scaling upwards by 56% to be consistent with U.S. buoys.