Retrieving the Angular Distribution of Sea Wave Energy according to Satellite Imagery Spectra

Abstract

The development of a method of retrieval of two-dimensional spatial spectra of sea wave elevations is proposed on the basis of high-resolution satellite imagery, which permits estimation of the angular distributions of wind wave energy. The method is validated by the results of a comprehensive experiment that involved satellite imaging of the Black Sea water area using optical instruments and sea truth measurements under controlled conditions from a stationary oceanographic platform. The angular distribution of sea wave energy retrieved by spatial spectra of satellite imagery fragments was compared with the results of measurements of the frequency-angular spectra collected using an array of string wave recorders. It is shown that the results of remote and in situ measurements are consistent in the range of sea wavelengths from 2.8 to 30 m and that the average absolute error is 0.3.