Abstract
This dataset consists of integral sea state parameters of significant wave height (SWH) and mean wave period (zero-upcrossing mean wave period, MWP) data derived from the advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) onboard the ENVISAT satellite over its full life cycle (2002–2012) covering the global ocean. Both parameters are calibrated and validated against buoy data. A cross-validation between the ASAR SWH and radar altimeter (RA) data is also performed to ensure that the SAR-derived wave height data are of the same quality as the RA data. These data are stored in the standard NetCDF format, which are produced for each ASAR wave mode Level1B data provided by the European Space Agency. This is the first time that a full sea state product in terms of both the SWH and MWP has been derived from spaceborne SAR data over the global ocean for a decadal temporal scale.
Highlights
Background & SummaryThe sea state is one of the key parameters of the “essential climate variables” (ECVs) defined by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) to meet the requirements of the climate change community
Another radar sensor capable of measuring the sea state is known as spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which became available at the same time as radar altimeter (RA); both instruments were on board the Seasat[3] satellite launched in 1978
As surface waves are in motion during the SAR imaging time, the high-frequency components of ocean waves are missed, and the distortion of the spectrum occurs during the imaging process of SAR6,7
Summary
Background & SummaryThe sea state is one of the key parameters of the “essential climate variables” (ECVs) defined by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) to meet the requirements of the climate change community. Long-term RA measurements can reflect some wave height trends in the global oceans, and these trends might be associated with climate change[2]. Another radar sensor capable of measuring the sea state is known as spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which became available at the same time as RAs; both instruments were on board the Seasat[3] satellite launched in 1978. Spaceborne SAR should be able to effectively measure the sea state from space, as this technology images sea surface waves in two dimensions[5], at a high spatial resolution. As a result of this compensatory approach, the retrieval of ocean wave parameters from SAR data has to rely on the priori information, which significantly limits SAR as an independent remote sensing instrument that can measure the sea state
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