Seasat altimeter sensor file algorithms

The Seasat altimeter is designed to measure three parameters important to oceanography: height of the spacecraft above the ocean surface (
h
), significant wave height (
H_{1/3}
), and ocean backscatter coefficient (
\sigma\deg
) from which surface winds may be inferred. Since the measurement process is indirect, and the measurement environment is complicated by many factors affecting the instrument readings, corrections to the raw data are needed before they are used to compute geophysical parameters. These corrections are accomplished by the Seasat altimeter sensor file algorithms. The purpose of this paper is to describe these algorithms, why they are needed, how they are implemented, and their evaluation using in-flight data.