Radar Based Water Level Estimation

Dear Colleagues,

Radar techniques have demonstrated a strong capacity for the measurement of water levels from in situ, airborne or spaceborne sensors. In situ tide gauges are now commonly equipped with radar sensors to accurately monitor sea surface heights. Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) geodetic sensors deployed on buoys are more and more used for the same purpose, especially offshore, where they are part of tsunami and/or storm coastal surges detection systems, providing real-time information on sea level. GNSS reflectometry (GNSS-R) is also a promising technique to estimate water levels over open ocean, coastal areas, and inland water bodies (lakes, rivers) which can be deployed on the ground or in airborne and spaceborne platforms. Radar altimetry onboard satellite platforms is the unique technique which allows estimating sea level variations over the whole ocean. In spite of degraded accuracies in coastal areas and over land, these observations are increasingly used over these latter two surfaces to densify the existing in situ gauge networks or replace them when they stop operating. InSAR spaceborne measurements are also used for hydrological applications. As InSAR data are currently mostly acquired with a time delay, their major uses are the topography of floodplains and lake banks during low water periods and the changes in water levels over floodplains and wetlands. After the launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission in 2022, which will simultaneously acquire SAR images at different incidence angles, the InSAR technique will provide, for the first time, water levels over ocean and land in two swaths, opening a new era for radar altimetry. This Special Issue aims to present reviews and recent advances of general interest in the use of radar for water level estimates. We encourage the submission of manuscripts presenting new methodology and new applications of radar techniques including GNSS, GNSS-R, radar altimetry, and especially from recent altimetric technology (SAR, SARin and Ka band) and improvements expected from missions to be launched in the near future (i.e., SWOT), or analyzing the accuracy of radar techniques for water level estimates.

Dr. Frédéric Frappart
Dr. Isabel Vigo
Dr. Joana Fernandes
Dr. David García-García
Dr. José Darrozes
Dr. Fabien Blarel
Dr. Cassandra Normandin
Dr. Song Shu
Guest Editors

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