Sentinel-3A PLRM: Global Stacked Sea Surface Height Profiles

770 Sentinel-3A satellite passes provide 20,239 median sea surface height records along a synthetic track spanning latitudes from -81.419 to +81.419. This dataset stacks 56 repeat cycles from 2016 to 2020, with each record including an error estimate (sigma) and the count of contributing cycles. It represents a processed, along-track product designed for analyzing ocean surface variability.

Use Cases

• Analyzing regional sea level trends based on stacked, median height profiles.
• Assessing measurement uncertainty for altimetry data using the provided sigma values.
• Validating ocean circulation models against along-track satellite observations.
• Studying the consistency of satellite measurements across 56 repeat cycles.

Strengths

• Covers a significant time series, utilizing 56 repeat cycles from 2016 to 2020.
• Provides a processed, stacked product (median profile) from 770 satellite passes, reducing noise.
• Includes explicit error metrics (sigma) for each of the 20,239 along-track data points.
• Has broad spatial coverage, reaching to high latitudes (±81.419 degrees).

Limitations

• Conflicting last-updated dates: DataGov lists 2026-03-06, while NASA EarthData lists 2020-04-05, raising questions about provenance and updates.
• Column names and detailed metadata (like license, author, exact file size) are not provided in the sources.
• The dataset is a specific processed product (stacked median); raw measurements or other derived variables are not included.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Satellite altimetry data from the Sentinel-3A Pseudo-Low Rate Mode (PLRM) instrument, processed by aligning repeat cycles to a common synthetic track and calculating median profiles.

Time Range

2016-04-08 to 2020-04-05

Freshness

2026-03 06 00:00:29.048013 (from DataGov, though this conflicts with the NASA date)

Geography

Global, along-track coverage between latitudes -81.419 and +81.419 degrees.