The Wave Spectrum and Windspeed as Descriptors of the Ocean Surface.
Abstract
Of the various parameters and phenomena used in describing sea surface conditions, the two most widely used are the wave spectrum and the windspeed. The wave spectrum states how the surface wave energy is distributed with wave frequency. The windspeed is the key parameter for allowing an estimate of the wave spectrum to be made where it is otherwise unobtainable. Remote sensing techniques have been developed to help describe what is occurring at the sea-air interface. In this report the wave spectrum concept is discussed briefly and a systematic approach is taken to describe various ways by which windspeeds at sea are determined. The various techniques for determining windspeeds at sea can be classified in three categories: (a) direct measurements from instrumented platforms, (b) estimates from noninstrumented platforms, and (c) estimates inferred from other data. Such a classification serves to document systematic errors associated with various methods of obtaining windspeed observations. (Modified author abstract)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 30, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0769669
Entities
People
- Lionel I. Moskowitz
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory