Assessment of calibrated Sentinel-1 OCN RVL products

Abstract

The accuracy and precision of the calibrated DC frequency of S1 WV and IW acquisitions are assessed using data acquired over both land and ocean areas. Data from the period of 1st of May 2019 until 30th of April 2020 are used. For WV mode the assessment is performed on global data, while for IW mode the assessment is performed for data acquired over supersites (Skagerak (Norway) and Agulhas (South-Africa)). The DC standard deviation (STD) and bias show significant reduction for both satellites and for all swaths. Assessment of the performance of global WV data shows a STD (precision) around 6Hz, while the BIAS (accuracy) is less than 2 Hz. The performance is very similar for both satellites and for both swaths. For IW the STD is similar, but the bias is slightly higher and small DC biases between sub-swaths are sometimes observed.