Ocean Surface Roughness from Satellite Observations and Spectrum Modeling of Wind Waves

Abstract

Abstract Many wind wave spectrum models provide excellent wave height prediction given the input of wind speed and wave age. Their quantification of the surface roughness, on the other hand, varies considerably. The ocean surface roughness is generally represented by the mean square slope, and its direct measurement in open ocean remains a challenging task. Microwave remote sensing from space delivers ocean surface roughness information. Satellite platforms offer global coverage in a broad range of environmental conditions. This paper presents low-pass mean square slope (LPMSS) data obtained by spaceborne microwave altimeters and reflectometers operating at L, Ku, and Ka bands (about 1.6, 14, and 36 GHz). The LPMSS data represent the spectrally integrated ocean surface roughness with 11, 95, and 250 rad m−1 upper cutoff wavenumbers, and the maximum wind speeds are 80, 29, and 25 m s−1, respectively. A better understanding of the ocean surface roughness is important to the goal of improving wind wave spectrum modeling. The analysis presented in this paper shows that over two orders of magnitude of the wavenumber range (0.3–30 rad m−1), the spectral components follow a power function relating the dimensionless spectrum and the ratio between wind friction velocity and wave phase speed. The power function exponent is about 0.38, which is considerably smaller than unity as expected from the classical equilibrium spectrum function. It may suggest that wave breaking is not only an energy sink but also a source of roughness generation covering a wideband of wavelengths about 20 m and shorter. Significance Statement This paper presents low-pass mean square slope (LPMSS) data obtained by spaceborne microwave altimeters and reflectometers operating at L, Ku, and Ka bands (about 1.6, 14, and 36 GHz). The LPMSS data represent the spectrally integrated ocean surface roughness with 11, 95, and 250 rad m−1 upper cutoff wavenumbers, and the maximum wind speeds are 80, 29, and 25 m s−1, respectively. A better understanding of the ocean surface roughness is important to the goal of improving wind wave spectrum modeling that is critical to the investigation of air–sea interaction and ocean remote sensing. The analysis presented in this paper suggests that wave breaking is not only an energy sink but also a generation source of surface roughness covering a wide band of wavelengths about 20 m and shorter.