Preface.- Chapter 1: Altimetry Missions: past, present and future.- Chapter 2: From Research to Operations: The USDA Global Reservoir and Lake Monitor.- Chapter 3: User requirements in the coastal ocean for satellite altimetry.- Chapter 4: Re-tracking altimeter waveforms near the coasts: A review of retracking methods and some applications to coastal waveforms.- Chapter 5: Range and geophysical corrections in coastal regions - and implications for mean sea surface determination.- Chapter 6: Tropospheric corrections for coastal altimetry.- Chapter 7: Surge Models as Providers of Improved "Inverse Barometer Corrections" for Coastal Altimetry Users.- Chapter 8: Tide Predictions in Shelf and Coastal Waters: Status and Prospects.- Chapter 9: Post-processing altimeter data toward coastal applications and integration into coastal models.- Chapter 10: Coastal Challenges for Altimeter Data Dissemination and Services.- Chapter 11: In situ Absolute Calibration and Validation - A link from coastal to open-ocean altimetry.- Chapter 12: Introduction and assessment of improved coastal altimetry strategies: case-study over the North Western Mediterranean Sea.- Chapter 13: Satellite Altimetry Applications in the Caspian Sea.- Chapter 14: Satellite Altimetry Applications in the Black Sea.- Chapter 15: Satellite Altimetry Applications in the Barents and White seas.- Chapter 16: Satellite Altimetry Applications off the Coasts of North America.- Chapter 17: Evaluation of Retracking Algorithms over China and Adjacent Coastal Seas.- Chapter 18: Satellite altimetry for geodetic, oceanographic and climate studies in the Australian region.- Chapter 19: Lakes studies from satellite altimetry.- Chapter 20: The Future of Coastal Altimetry.

Zusammenfassung

The book describes experience in application of coastal altimetry to different parts of the World Ocean. It presents the principal problems related to the altimetry derived products in coastal regions of the ocean and ways of their improvement. This publication is based on numerous satellite and observational data collected and analyzed by the authors of the various chapters in the framework of a set of international projects, performed in UK, France, Italy, Denmark, Russia, USA, Mexico and India. The book will contribute both to the ongoing International Altimeter Service effort and to the building of a sustained coastal observing system in the perspective of GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) and GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) initiatives. This book is aimed at specialists concerned with research in the various fields of satellite altimetry, remote sensing, and coastal physical oceanography. The book will be also interesting for lecturers, students and post-graduate students.