ERS‐1 and Almaz estimates of directional ocean wave spectra conditioned by simultaneous aircraft SAR and buoy measurements

Abstract

The European Space Agency ERS‐1 C‐band V‐V polarization synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and the Russian Almaz S‐band H‐H polarization SAR are compared for their wavenumber response to ocean wave fields existing on 23 November 1991 at the Grand Banks site of the North American ERS‐1 SAR Wave Spectra Validation Experiment. Two‐dimensional wave spectra from two Wavec heave, pitch and roll buoys and a Canadian CV‐580 aircraft C‐band V‐V polarization SAR are used to condition a linear modulation transfer model of wave imaging with SAR. A model of hydrodynamic modulation is included with the velocity bunching and tilt imaging mechanisms to better understand wind and wave interactions. Krogstad's quasi‐linear formulation of Hasselmann's ocean‐SAR integral transform is applied to model SAR velocity bunching and azimuth smearing. Narrow and broad bandwidth components of azimuth wavenumber response for the aircraft SAR are associated with, respectively, non‐linear and incoherent velocity smearing during Doppler resolution of the radar scene. The stationary resolutions of the SAR systems are compared for homogeneous scenes of wind‐roughened, but fetch‐limited, sea surfaces. This comparison is conducted in the Chesapeake Bay of Maryland using ERS‐1 and Almaz satellite imagery collected on 9 May 1992 and 14 May 1991, respectively. The results confirm that SAR imaging of ocean waves can be improved by flying platforms with low R/V (range/velocity) ratios to alleviate the azimuth velocity smear, and near‐nadir incidence angles to increase the effect of tilt modulation.     

Oceanographic implications of features in NOAA satellite visible imagery

The sunglint areas of the ocean in NOAA satellite visible imagery appear as long swaths that extend from the northern extremes of the North Temperate Zone to the southern extreme of the South Temperate Zone. Examples are shown of complex features apparent in the sunglint area of visible imagery that closely match ocean-related thermal features in the companion infrared imagery. Various interpretations of these features are discussed. Data from the first phase of the Grand Banks Experiment (June 1978) are presented which demonstrate that such sunglint features are related to the strong ocean frontal processes present in this area. Although some of the features may be associated with fog or mist, side-looking airborne radar imagery collected during the experiment confirms the presence of surface roughness variations. The observations strongly suggest that these roughness variations are due to changes in the stability of the atmospheric boundary layer caused by the different surface water temperatures present in the area. The results demonstrate the usefulness of NOAA visible imagery as a tool to aid in the understanding of synoptic ocean processes, and suggest an important application for satellite and airborne synthetic aperture radars in mapping the roughness changes associated with ocean current systems.     

Radar imaging of the ocean surface

Radar sensors are being used to provide two-dimensional imagery of the ocean surface. The radar image has a brightness variation which is proportional to the local backscatter cross-section of the surface at the wavelength of observation. The backscatter cross-section is, in turn, a function of the local surface topography and, in the case of a coherent radar system, of the surface dynamics. The synthetic-aperture radar imaging technique produces very high resolution images essentially independent of the distance to the surface being imaged. This technique is discussed in some detail. The emphasis is on recent observations of a large variety of ocean surface patterns. Deep ocean waves have been observed under a variety of weather conditions, including hurricanes. Breaking waves are observed because of the increase in roughness and the presence of foam. Discrete wave-like patterns, which resemble internal wave trains, have been observed in numerous locations; and eddy-shaped, linear, curvilinear and periodic slicks have also been seen. The different models for wave image formations are briefly reviewed. Specifically, the roughness modulation, tilt modulation, and orbital velocity models are discussed. Finally, it is shown that surface randomness does not destroy the coherence of the signal needed to generate the synthetic-aperture image because of the short-term coherence of the small Bragg waves.This paper presents the result of one phase of research carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract NAS7-100, sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.     

Ultra-wideband radar studies of steep crested waves with scanning laser measurements of wave slope profiles

We report results of ultra wide-band radar sea spike experiments using steep and weakly breaking non-linear water surface features in a wave tank. To generate these features we used a 1 s paddle wave and wind waves for a sequence of wind speeds. A scanning laser was used to measure synchronously the surface slope profile across 12 cm along the wave propagation direction once per radar pulse. A time domain reflectometer (TDR) radar transmitted short horizontally polarized pulses at X-band, several hundred picoseconds long, to give a range resolution of 10 cm. A radar range of 36 cm was digitally sampled so that surface feature echoes could be tracked through the area continuously with 5 ms temporal resolution with each instrument. We report results considering the wave slope component in the propagation direction and the corresponding curvature component. For the conditions studied, two types of features which produce sea spike radar echoes were generated–a non-linear feature near the crest front of the wind wave, caused by extreme steepening as a result of the passage of the paddle wave, and a steepened blocked wind wave in the trough of the paddle wave, caused by the local orbital current of the 1 s wave being nearly equal to and opposite the phase velocity of the wind wave.     

Solitary wave disturbances of the nocturnal boundary layer revealed by radar observations of migrating insects

Four solitary wave disturbances of the nocturnal boundary layer have been detected during radar observations of insect migration over central-western New South Wales. Three of the disturbances took the form of trains of long waves of elevation of large relative amplitude, and these were manifested as propagating variations of the highly stratified vertical distributions of the migrating insects; in the fourth disturbance, which appeared as an evenly spaced series of steadily advancing insect line concentrations, the waves almost certainly contained regions of closed circulation in which large numbers of insects had become entrained. Wave profiles have been reconstructed from the radar observations, and measurements of the length and speed of the wave components have been compared with theoretical values determined from upper air data.     

Wave Flow Simulations Over Arctic Leads

We investigate the flow over Arctic leads using a mesoscale numerical model, typical of both summer and winter, under idealised conditions. We find that Arctic leads may be the source of standing atmospheric internal gravity waves during both seasons. The summertime wave may be compared with the wave generated by a small ridge, though with the phase reversed. The mechanism for exciting the wave is found to be the internal boundary layer developing due to horizontal variations in surface temperature and roughness length. During the more exploratory wintertime simulations, with substantial temperature difference between the lead and the ice surface, we find that secondary circulations and intermittent wave-breaking may occur. The effects of the lead appear far downstream.     

Effect of wind shear on atmospheric wave instabilities revealed by FM/CW radar observations

An FM/CW radar sounding system designed and built by one of us (Richter, 1969) reveals atmospheric wave structure in unparalleled detail.The most outstanding features evident in the record are; internal gravity waves; features resembling Kelvin/Helmholtz instability structures; and multiple layering, often with lamina only a few meters thick.This paper shows a variety of atmospheric structural patterns and compares them with several hypothetical models of internal waves to obtain more insight into the atmospheric processes at work. Special attention is given to the distribution of the Richardson number in trapped and untrapped gravity waves. It is proposed that the multiple layers result from untrapped internal gravity waves whose propagation vector is directed nearly vertically within very stable height regions. It is argued that the layers are caused by dynamic instability resulting from reduction in the Richardson number due to wave induced shear and to some background wind shear when the amplitude-to-wavelength ratio grows during propagation into thermally stable height regions of the atmosphere.     

Airborne measurements of the ocean's Ku‐band radar cross‐section at low incidence angles

Abstract

Ocean backscatter data obtained with a K_u‐band airborne radar are presented along with coincident altimeter and directional wave spectral estimates. These data were collected using one sensor, NASA's radar ocean wave spectrometer (ROWS). The measurements are compared with an electromagnetic scattering model for perfectly conducting Gaussian random surfaces. The normalized radar cross‐section (NRCS) data cover those incidence angles (0–20°) where both quasi‐specular and Bragg scattering mechanisms are expected. Under certain conditions, identification and separation of these two mechanisms is possible. The scanning radar allows observations of the azimuthal variations in NRCS that are at times indicative of short‐scale wave generation in the wind direction.     

Experimental study of the relationship between the wave groupiness and wave height

It is demonstrated that the greatest influence of the variations in the groupiness of storm waves in the Baltic Sea concerns the highest waves. The variations in the height of less high waves are defined by wind speed. It is revealed that the height of 3% of the highest waves depends on their bandwidth: higher and lower waves are characterized by the larger and smaller set of frequencies, respectively. The significant wave height does not almost depend on the bandwidth. It is found that the spectrum of storm waves in the southwestern part of the Baltic Sea has a multi-peak structure which reflects the complex structure of waves consisting of several wave systems. Envelopes and individual waves of different frequency ranges superimpose, and extreme waves are generated. The probability of occurrence of extreme waves is maximum at the moments of the maximum development of wave groupiness.     

An extended Miles' theory for wave generation by wind

Miles' inviscid theory of surface wave generation by wind is (a) modified by replacing the logarithmic shear velocity profile with one which applies right down to the wave surface and which exhibits an explicit dependence on the roughness of the surface, and (b) extended to include the effects of the interaction of wave with air flow turbulence by considering the wave-modified mean flow as the mean of the actual turbulent air flow over water waves and using this in a mixing-length model.The surface pressure is shown to depend significantly on the flow conditions being aerodynamically smooth or rough. Its component in phase with the surface elevation is practically unaffected by the wave-turbulence interaction. However, such interaction tends to increase the rate of energy input ß from wind to waves travelling in the same direction, e.g., the increase is 2gk ² for aerodynamically rough flow, where gk is the Von Karman constant. It also provides damping of waves in an adverse wind which can be about 10% of the growth rate in a favourable wind.     

One-dimensional theory of the wave boundary layer

Results obtained in a 2-D modeling of the statistical structure of the wave boundary layer (WBL) are used for elaboration of the general approach to 1-D modeling taking into account the spectral properties of wave drag for an arbitrary wave field. In the case of the wave field described by the JONSWAP spectrum, the momentum and energy spectral density exchange, vertical profiles of the wave-induced momentum flux and dependence of total roughness parameter and drag coefficient on peak frequency are given. The reasons that the total roughness parameter increases with decreasing fetch are explained. The role of wind waves as an active element of the ocean-atmosphere dynamic system is also discussed.     

Studying the variability of the wind wave period

Analyzed are the experimental data on the range of the sea wind waves obtained using a laser meter of hydrospheric pressure variations in 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2012 at different points of the shelf of the Sea of Japan. It is demonstrated that the variations of wind wave periods at their leaving the zone of cyclonic action can be associated not only with the dispersion but also with the Doppler effect and variations of the wind speed and wind direction in the zone of cyclonic action. Carried out was the analysis of the results of the processing of experimental data of the laser meter of hydrospheric pressure variations and the mobile laser meter of hydrospheric pressure variations; this analysis revealed that the transformation of wind waves with the decrease in the period and energy takes place in the case of their movement along the shelf of the decreasing depth.     

Comparison ofin situ and remotely sensed ocean waves off Marineland,Florida

Some early results from an oceanographic experiment staged off Marineland, Florida, in December 1975 are presented, viz., intercomparisons between the X-band and L-band imagery obtained by the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan's (ERIM) dual-wavelength, dualpolarization multiplexed radar. This radar allows direct comparison since the images are produced simultaneously. The wave data obtained from the radar imagery are compared with surface measurements of waves obtained with a pitch- and-roll buoy. The conclusions are only applicable to medium and low wind and wave conditions encountered during the Marineland test. The results indicate that X-band images provide superior quality wave imagery and more useful Fourier Transforms compared to L-band under equivalent signal-to-noise ratios and resolution. Optimum wave imagery is seen when waves propagate in the range direction. Comparisons betweenin situ measurements and X-band imagery of the same area indicate that the dominant wave direction can be obtained from imagery to within a few degrees. A one-dimensional spectrum obtained from X-band imagery compares favorably with an equivalent wave frequency spectrum obtained from the pitch- and-roll buoy after suitable transformation asing linear wave theory.     

Microwave scatter and sea state estimation: Two-scale ocean wave models

The efficient estimation of ocean wave-structure parameters with a remote, narrow-beam, pulsed, microwave radar at intermediate incidence angles is discussed. The sea surface is described as the sum of random small- and large-scale structures (waves), the latter the sum of a sinusoid and a random field. It is shown that the small-scale structure is responsible for scattering and that the scatter depends parametrically on the large-scale structure. For the estimation problem it is assumed, reasonably, that the received signal is normally distributed: a relatively simple processor which will efficiently estimate parameters of the sinusoidal structure is illustrated and its performance discussed. A brief comparison is made with a normal incidence system with which the variance of the large-scale random roughness can be estimated.Research supported by NASA Grant NSG-5048.     

The <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">int</Emphasis>OA Experiment: A Study of Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions Under Moderate to Strong Offshore Winds and Opposing Swell Conditions in the Gulf of Tehuantepec,Mexico

The Gulf of Tehuantepec air–sea interaction experiment (intOA) took place from February to April 2005, under the Programme for the Study of the Gulf of Tehuantepec (PEGoT, Spanish acronym for Programa para el Estudio del Golfo de Tehuantepec). PEGoT is underway aiming for better knowledge of the effect of strong and persistent offshore winds on coastal waters and their natural resources, as well as performing advanced numerical modelling of the wave and surface current fields. One of the goals of the intOA experiment is to improve our knowledge on air–sea interaction processes with particular emphasis on the effect of surface waves on the momentum flux for the characteristic and unique conditions that occur when strong Tehuano winds blow offshore against the Pacific Ocean long period swell. For the field campaign, an air–sea interaction spar (ASIS) buoy was deployed in the Gulf of Tehuantepec to measure surface waves and the momentum flux between the ocean and the atmosphere. High frequency radar systems (phase array type) were in operation from two coastal sites and three acoustic Doppler current profilers were deployed near-shore. Synthetic aperture radar images were also acquired as part of the remote sensing component of the experiment. The present paper provides the main results on the wave and wind fields, addressing the direct calculation of the momentum flux and the drag coefficient, and gives an overview of the intOA experiment. Although the effect of swell has been described in recent studies, this is the first time for the very specific conditions encountered, such as swell persistently opposing offshore winds and locally generated waves, to show a clear evidence of the influence on the wind stress of the significant steepness of swell waves.     

Heat Flux in the Coastal Zone

Various difficulties with application of Monin–Obukhov similarity theory are surveyed including the influence of growing waves, advection and internal boundary-layer development. These complications are normally important with offshore flow. The transfer coefficient for heat is computed from eddy correlation data taken at a mast two kilometres off the Danish coast in RASEX. For these coastal zone data, the thermal roughness length shows no well-defined relation to the momentum roughness length or roughness Reynolds number, in contrast to previous theories. The variation of the momentum roughness length is dominated by wave state. In contrast, the thermal roughness length shows significant dependence on wave state only for small values of wave age where the mixing is apparently enhanced by wave breaking. The development of thin internal boundary layers with offshore flow substantially reduces the heat transfer and thermal roughness length but has no obvious influence on momentum roughness length. A new formulation of the thermal roughness length based on the internal boundary-layer depth is calibrated to the RASEX data. For the very stable case, the turbulence is mainly detached from the surface and existing formulations do not apply.As an alternative to adjusting the thermal roughness length, the transfer coefficient is related directly to the stability and the internal boundary-layer depth. This avoids specification of roughness lengths resulting from the usual integration of the non-dimensional temperature function. The resulting stability function is simpler than previous ones and satisfies free convection similarity theory without introduction of the gustiness factor. The internal boundary layer also influences the moisture transfer coefficient.     

Wave attenuation in the marginal ice zone during LIMEX

Abstract

During the Labrador Ice Margin Experiments, LIMEX ‘87 in March 1987 and LIMEX ‘89 in March and April 1989, the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) CV‐580 aircraft collected synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image data over the marginal ice zone off the east coast of Newfoundland, Canada. One aspect of these experimental programs was the observation of ocean waves penetrating into the marginal ice zone (MIZ). Based upon directional wavenumber spectra derived from SAR image data, the wave attenuation rate is estimated using SAR image spectra and compared with predictions from a model developed by Liu and Mollo‐Christensen (1988). The wave and ice conditions were considerably different in LIMEX ‘87 and LIMEX ‘89. However, the model‐data comparisons are very good for all ice conditions observed. Both the model and the SAR‐derived wave attenuation rates show a characteristic roll‐over at high wavenumbers. A model for the eddy viscosity is proposed, using dimensional analysis, as a simple function of ice roughness and wave‐induced velocity. Eddy viscosities derived from SAR and wave buoy data for the wave attenuation rate show a trend that is consistent with the proposed model.     

Wave/wave interaction producing horizontal mean flows in stably stratified fluids

We show that internal wave/wave interactions in stratified fluids are able to produce strong horizontal mean currents. A simple analytical model allows us to estimate the amplitude of the time-periodic horizontal mean flow induced by the interaction of two monochromatic waves. This model shows that in some cases, the mean flow velocity can overgo a threshold beyond which critical layers and intense energy transfers from the waves to the mean flow are expected. This prediction is confirmed by direct pseudo-spectral simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations under the Boussinesq approximation. Such interactions may help to further understand the presence of strong vertical shear observed in the final stage of stratified flows in oceans and atmospheres.     

Unstable modes of a sheared pycnocline above a stratified layer

Internal waves incident on a sheared ocean pycnocline are studied using analytic and numerical methods. Linear analysis of the unstable modes of a sheared ocean pycnocline is used to demonstrate interactions between internal waves and shear instabilities. A new analytic solution for an asymmetric shear layer over a stratified layer is presented, illustrating modes which couple to internal waves, in addition to the well-known Holmboe modes. The robustness of these solutions is demonstrated using numerical methods for realistic shear profiles. Fully nonlinear numerical simulations illustrate the growth of these modes and demonstrate the excitation of shear instabilities by incident internal waves. The results may have implications for internal wave interactions with the ocean pycnocline and the local generation of internal solitary waves.