Assessing the Performance of GNSS-IR for Sea Level Monitoring During Hurricane-Induced Storm Surges

With the intensification of extreme climate change, hurricanes are becoming increasingly frequent, and coastal regions are often impacted by hurricane-induced storm surges. While GNSS-IR (Global Navigation Satellite System–Interferometric Reflectometry) has been widely used for sea level monitoring, its application in extreme weather events such as storm surges remains limited. This study focuses on GNSS-IR-based storm surge monitoring and investigates six hurricane events using data from two GNSS stations (CALC and FLCK) located in the Gulf of Mexico. The monitoring accuracy and effectiveness are systematically evaluated. Results indicate that GNSS-IR achieves a sea level accuracy of approximately 7 cm under non-storm surge conditions. Compared with the FLCK station, the CALC station has a wider field of water reflection and higher precision observation results. This further confirms that an open environment is a prerequisite for ensuring the accuracy of GNSS-IR measurements. However, accuracy degrades significantly during storm surges, reaching only a decimeter-level precision. Multi-GNSS observations notably improve temporal resolution, with valid observation periods covering 83% to 97% of the total time, compared with only 40% to 60% for single-system observations. Moreover, dynamic sea level variations are closely correlated with hurricane trajectories, which affects GNSS-IR measurement accuracy to some extent. The GPS L2 band is particularly sensitive, likely due to the complex surface-reflected condition caused by hurricanes. Despite reduced accuracy during storm surges, GNSS-IR remains capable of capturing dynamic sea level changes effectively, demonstrating its potential as a valuable supplement to the existing observation networks for extreme weather monitoring.