ESA Portal - Envisat radar altimetry tracks river levels worldwide

Media Centre

Press Releases ESA Television Launch Media Corner Exhibitions

Services

Calendar Publications Frequently asked questions ESA-sponsored Conferences Help Site Credits Portal terms of use Comments Subscribe

Envisat radar altimetry tracks river levels worldwide

25 September 2003

Back to article

Download:

HI RES JPG (Size: 1435 KB)

The Amazon River Basin as observed by ERS-1 Radar Altimeter, including so-called 'wet'radar echoes from rivers, lakes and swamps. Radar altimetry data provides researchers with the means to monitor global river and lake levels.

Credits: ESA

Back to article

Download:

HI RES JPG (Size: 871 KB)

The Amazon River. Its water level, like that of other major rivers and lakes across the planet, can now be measured from space, providing hydrologists with a major scientific tool.

Credits: Copyright © Ilce Campos

Back to article

Radar Altimeter 2 Antenna. Photo:Alenia Aerospazio

Back to article

Download:

HI RES JPG (Size: 32 kb)

Radar altimetry profile of China's Three Gorges Dam from two Envisat cycles, shown in red and green, with height in metres plotted against latitude in degrees. Although the terrain is extreme, the Envisat RA-2 obtains data intermittently from the surrounding terrain, and gets very good data from the bottom of the gorge through which the Yantze river runs.