Comparison of Satellite-Derived Ocean Velocities with Observations in the California Coastal Region.
Abstract
Satellite derived ocean surface velocity vectors in the California Current System (CCS) are compared with in situ hydrographic and Doppler data. The insitu data were acquired during the April 1981 phase of the Coastal Ocean Dynamics Experiment (CODE) experiment. In general, the satellite derived velocities agreed with the in situ data. Due to the baroclinic nature of the study region, the satellite vectors were found to be representative of the subsurface geostrophic flow. Although the number and concentration of the satellite vectors was small, these vectors were capable of resolving the mesoscale features located in the study region. Comparison of colocated data revealed that the in situ Doppler velocity measurements were approximately 1.5 times larger than the satellite derived velocity vectors. These results agree with a similar study conducted in an offshore region. Keywords: Remote sensing; Ocean currents; California current system; California coastal region; Theses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA182291
Entities
People
- John F. O'hara
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School