Techniques and Benefits of Satellite Data and Wave Models.

Abstract

This report documents techniques and benefits of satellite data in wind and wave models. It provides an overview of available satellite wind and wave data and their possible usage based on the questionnaire prepared by the Expert Team on Wind Waves and Storm Surges (ETWS) to collect information on Members' use of wind and wave satellite data, in particular, regarding type of sensor used, satellite name, real time use, product name, data format, provider, areas of concern, purpose of use, quality control and status of the data use. A brief description of various satellite instruments that provide ocean wind and wave data is presented in Section 2. These satellite instruments produce a precious and extensive source of data, generally with global coverage. This has a significant importance for atmospheric and wave models, as they can combine these types of data with other data sources, using assimilation techniques to produce the best estimate of the atmosphere and the oceans states. Such data can also be used for climate and various model verification studies. Section 3 summarizes all purposes of use satellite data, and Section 4 lists several concluding remarks.