Sea Surface Environmental Conditions in the Gulf of Alaska during April 1990 Using SSM/I
Abstract
The Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) is capable of mapping sea surface roughness characteristics and sea foam coverage from space in most weather conditions. The SSM/I also measures precipitation and water vapor content of atmosphere, providing a simultaneous weather analysis complementing the sea surface roughness measurements. This combination of measurements can provide input into numerical models of sound transmission in the ocean, particularly those incorporating forward scattering from the sea surface, absorption by bubbles, and the generation of noise by wind. This technical note presents a demonstration of these capabilities for the month of April 1991 Gulf of Alaska. An algorithm is applied to several SSM/I passes to produce maps of root mean square wave slope, percent sea foam coverage, precipitation, and water vapor. Two wind events are treated that were associated with the passage of low pressure systems into the gulf from the southwest. A method of driving significant wave height from wave slope variance, using independent estimates of the dominant wavelength, is also presented.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA241909
Entities
People
- Pauline Smith
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory