FEASIBILITY STUDY OF ALTIMETRY SATELLITES FOR SENSING THE ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE CHANGES OVER INDONESIA

• Main Author: Nurzaman, Fathin
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknik (Rekayasa, enjinering dan kegiatan berkaitan)
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/48049
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Hidrometeorological disasters such as floods and droughts are common occurrence in Indonesia due to the drastic and unpredictable changes of rainfall. Thus, studies regarding the atmospheres are essential so we could prepare for the best countermeasure act to reduce the losses from the disasters. To study the atmospheres we need observational data which could be provided by atmospheric observation technology. Satellite technologies have been commonly used due to its capabilities for observing globally. Satellites which have been widely utilized are Imagery Satellites, while Altimetry Satellites are rather uncommon since they have specified for different purposes. However, Altimetry Satellites have the potential to also be utilized since they carry an on-board radiometer instrument which could detect water vapor content and used to measures the WTC (Wet Tropospheric Correction) which functioned for the altimeter range correction due to tropospheric bias. Furthermore, the WTC could be converted into PWV (Precipitable Water Vapor) which are directly related to rainfall, the main variable of Indonesia’s atmospheres. In this Undergraduate Thesis, Studies are conducted regarding the PWV of Altimetry Satellites, specifically the Jason Satellite Mission, on its reliabilities for observing the atmosphere condition over Indonesia. Assessed from how some Indonesian atmospheric pattern characteristics would be identified, the characteristics consist of seasonal pattern which is the Indonesian Monsoon System, the anomalous pattern regarding the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and climate changes which portrayed by an increasing of evaporation. Plotting of PWV time-series graph along with its monthly-mean value and transformation to frequency-series using Fourier Transformation are performed to study the existing periodic pattern. More thorough analysis is done to the surface data of monthly-mean, monthly-mean anomaly and linear trend resulted from spatial interpolation. Eventually, it is assured that the altimetry based-PWV are feasible to be utilized for atmospheric observation.