The Approach for Studying Variability of Sea Wave Spectra in a Wide Range of Wavelengths from High-Resolution Satellite Optical Imagery

Abstract

The development and validation of a method for remote measurement of the spectra of sea waves, which significantly expands the capabilities to study surface waves in large water areas in a wide range of wavelengths, is described. The applied approach is based on the use of retrieving operators, which are constructed by the method of numerical simulation, taking into account the nonlinear nature of brightness field modulation by the slopes of the sea surface. Retrieving operators have a set of parameters that are adapted to the real conditions of aerospace imaging. To assess the adequacy of the retrieving of wave spectra recorded from satellite images, they are compared with the spectra obtained by ground-based means under controlled conditions. The studies have shown the adequacy of remote measurement of the spectra of slopes and elevations of sea waves with wavelengths in the range 0.1–1 m. The possibility of using the developed method for studying the variability of sea waves in the coastal zone under conditions of limited fetch, including in the presence of anthropogenic disturbances, is shown.