Journal Article
Measuring currents, ice drift, and waves from space: the Sea surface KInematics Multiscale monitoring (SKIM) concept
Fabrice Ardhuin; Yevgueny Aksenov; Alvise Benetazzo; Laurent Bertino; Peter Brandt; Eric Caubet; Bertrand Chapron; Fabrice Collard; Sophie Cravatte; Jean-Marc Delouis; Frederic Dias; Gérald Dibarboure; Lucile Gaultier; Johnny Johannessen; Anton Korosov; Georgy Manucharyan; Dimitris Menemenlis; Melisa Menendez; Goulven Monnier; Alexis Mouche; Frédéric Nouguier; George Nurser; Pierre Rampal; Ad Reniers; Ernesto Rodriguez; Justin Stopa; Céline Tison; Clément Ubelmann; Erik van Sebille; Jiping Xie
Ocean Science · Vol. 14, Issue 3 · pp. 337-354 · 2018
Abstract
We propose a satellite mission that uses a near-nadir Ka-band Doppler radar to measure surface currents, ice drift and ocean waves at spatial scales of 40 km and more, with snapshots at least every day for latitudes 75 to 82°, and every few days for other latitudes. The use of incidence angles of 6 and 12° allows for measurement of the directional wave spectrum, which yields accurate corrections of the wave-induced bias in the current measurements. The instrument's design, an algorithm for current vector retrieval and the expected mission performance are presented here. The instrument proposed can reveal features of tropical ocean and marginal ice zone (MIZ) dynamics that are inaccessible to other measurement systems, and providing global monitoring of the ocean mesoscale that surpasses the capability of today's nadir altimeters. Measuring ocean wave properties has many applications, including examining wave–current interactions, air–sea fluxes, the transport and convergence of marine plastic debris and assessment of marine and coastal hazards.