Altimetry measurement refers to quantitative methods for determining elevation or height relative to a reference surface, typically using active or passive remote sensing techniques. In geophysical and oceanographic applications, radar and laser altimetry transmit electromagnetic pulses toward the Earth’s surface and compute range from pulse travel time, corrected for atmospheric delays, geophysical tides, sea-state bias, and instrument drift. These measurements, combined with precise satellite orbit determination and geodetic reference frames, enable retrieval of sea surface height, ice-sheet elevation, land topography, and surface deformation, supporting studies of sea-level change, mass balance, geodynamics, and climate-related surface processes.
Climate scientists like to keep their accounting books neat and balanced. As climate change alters energy flows all across the planet, which in turn causes effects like sea level rise, ice melt and more, keeping close track ...
Improving tsunami hazard assessments depends on understanding what happens at the moment an earthquake ruptures beneath the seafloor, especially near deep-ocean trenches where measurements are often scarce. When a powerful ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 26, 2026
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15
Sea level can temporarily change for a variety of reasons—atmospheric pressure shifts and water accumulation from wind and storms, for example—which can cause flooding in coastal communities and affect maritime industry operations. ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 26, 2026
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14
In order to understand currents, tides and other ocean dynamics, scientists need to accurately capture sea surface height, or a snapshot of the ocean's surface, including peaks and valleys due to changes in wind, currents ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 9, 2026
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28
While satellites have revolutionized our ability to measure sea level with remarkable precision, their data becomes less reliable near coasts—where accurate information is most urgently needed.
Environment
Jun 25, 2025
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21
A team of Earth scientists affiliated with Peking University and the Southern University of Science and Technology, both in China, and a researcher from the University of Southern California, in the U.S., have found that ...
Radar altimeters are the sole indicators of altitude above a terrain. Spectrally adjacent 5G cellular bands pose significant risks of jamming altimeters and impacting flight landing and takeoff. As wireless technology expands ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 16, 2024
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