The wet tropospheric range correction: product intercomparisons and the simulated effect for tropical Pacific altimeter retrievals

The similarities and differences between four water vapor products currently available to correct for the wet tropospheric effect in altimeter data are quantified. Two of the water vapor data sets are derived from satellite measurements (Nimbus 7 scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) and Tiros-N operational vertical sounder (TOVS)), and two are from operational analyses (European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center (FNOC)). Subsequently, these analyses serve as the basis from which to assess the simulated effect of these products and their uncertainties on our ability to resolve significant sea level signals in the tropical Pacific Ocean via satellite altimetry. -from Authors