Gulf Stream Ground Truth Project: Results of NRL Airborne Sensors.
Abstract
Results of ocean surface measurements by NRL active and passive sensors are summarized. The data set was collected during three flights over the Gulf Stream in the spring of 1976 and coincided with in situ measurements taken from an oceanographic research vessel. The sensors were the NRL high flight radar, NRL wind-wave radar, a laser profilometer and a precision radiation thermometer. The quantities derived include sea state, ocean wave frequency spectra, surface wind speed and sea surface temperature. The remote determinations are found to agree very well with other data sources. In addition, experimental and theoretical results regarding the effects of ocean wave angular spreading on airborne profilometer determinations of wave frequency spectra are included as well as a detailed description of the data analysis algorithm. The spectral distortion is not severe for track angles within 15 degrees of the wind vector. These indicate that airborne profilometer data is still useful for wind-wave generation studies as long as close attention is given to the track angle relative to the dominate surface wave direction. Also, the proposition of using spectra from various track angles to infer the angular spreading function does not appear promising because the spectra do not show a substantial enough variation with the angular spreading function. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA057420
Entities
People
- C. R. Mcclain
- D. L. Hammond
- D. T. Chen
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory