Ocean Surface Wave Optical Roughness - Innovative Measurement and Modeling
Abstract
We are part of a multi-institutional research team that is seeking to contribute innovative measurements, characterization and modeling of the sea surface optical roughness. This includes microscale and whitecapping breaking waves, and foam cover, in addition to ocean waves of many scales. The long term goals are to enhance present knowledge of the time-dependent oceanic radiance distribution in relation to the above dynamic sea surface boundary layer features. These new findings would then be incorporated into a composite radiance-based radiative transfer model with a surface wave model, and the coupled model results validated with field observations. The feasibility of inverting the coupled model to yield information on the surface boundary layer is an allied goal. Due to the untimely passing of Dr. Tanos Elfouhaily, his role has been taken on by Dr. Bertrand Chapron, RSMAS, University of Miami, Miami and IFREMER, Brest, France. Our role in FY06 has been primarily in the detailed planning of the suite of sea surface roughness measurements that we will undertake during FY07-09, the instrumentation needed to make these measurements and the initial development of new techniques to characterize the various roughness features. We participated in the two intensive FY06 planning meetings at URI in November 2005 and Scripps (UCSD) in April 2006. In collaboration with our former colleague, the late Dr.Tony Elfouhaily, we began developing an analysis package for characterizing surface roughness. This approach seeks a robust individual wave decomposition capability so that local physical roughness elements can be detected and characterized along with their space-time phasing, thereby overcoming the classical Fourier spectrum issue of bound versus free wave contributions in assessing true physical sea surface roughness. This work will continue from FY07 with the recent addition of Dr. Bertrand Chapron to the group.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA627555
Entities
People
- Christopher J Zappa
- Howard Schultz
- Johannes Gemmrich
- Michael Banner
- Russel P. Morison
- Tanos Elfouhaily
Organizations
- University of Victoria