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Surface elevation contours of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheetsPreliminary results from Seasat radar altimetry over Antarctica north of 72 deg S and Greenland south of 72 deg N are presented. Surface elevations of the ice sheets, obtained from computer retracking of the radar altimeter waveforms, are contoured at 50-m intervals for Greenland and at 100-m intervals for Antarctica. Elevation differences at orbital crossover points are analyzed to obtain a precision of 1.9 m; this figure is partly determined by radial errors of approximately 1.0 m in orbital determination and partly by noise due to ice surface irregularities. Adjustment of the radial components of the orbits to minimize the differences in elevations at crossovers over a small, relatively flat region reduces the rms difference to 0.25 m, which is indicative of the optimum precision obtainable over the ice sheets. However, the precision degrades as the slope of the surface or amplitude of the undulations increases, yielding an overall precision of + or - 1.6 m.
Document ID
19830043068
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Zwally, H. J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Bindschadler, R. A.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences, Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Brenner, A. C.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Martin, T. V.
(EG & G Washington Analytical Services Center Inc., Riverdale, MD, United States)
Thomas, R. H.
(OAO Corp. Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
February 28, 1983
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 88
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
83A24286
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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