Abstract
High-resolution satellite images of ocean color and sea surface temperature reveal an abundance of ocean fronts, vortices and filaments at scales below 10 km but measurements of ocean surface dynamics at these scales are rare. There is increasing recognition of the role played by small scale ocean processes in ocean-atmosphere coupling, upper-ocean mixing and ocean vertical transports, with advanced numerical models and in situ observations highlighting fundamental changes in dynamics when scales reach 1 km. Numerous scientific publications highlight the global impact of small oceanic scales on marine ecosystems, operational forecasts and long-term climate projections through strong ageostrophic circulations, large vertical ocean velocities and mixed layer re-stratification. Small-scale processes particularly dominate in coastal, shelf and polar seas where they mediate important exchanges between land, ocean, atmosphere and the cryosphere e.g. freshwater, pollutants. As numerical models continue to evolve towards finer spatial resolution and increasingly complex coupled atmosphere-wave-ice-ocean systems, modern observing capability lags behind, unable to deliver the high-resolution synoptic measurements of total currents, wind vectors and waves needed to advance understanding, develop better parameterizations and improve model validations, forecasts and projections. SEASTAR is a satellite mission concept that proposes to directly address this critical observational gap with synoptic two-dimensional imaging of total ocean surface current vectors and wind vectors at 1 km resolution and coincident directional wave spectra. Based on major recent advances in squinted along-track Synthetic Aperture Radar interferometry, SEASTAR is an innovative, mature concept with unique demonstrated capabilities, seeking to proceed towards spaceborne implementation within Europe and beyond.
Highlights
The prime objective of SEASTAR is to address the observational gap for synoptic measurements of ocean surface currents and winds at the critical 1 km scale that are required to understand, model and forecast ocean submesoscale dynamics, air-sea interactions and small-scale processes in coastal, shelf and polar seas
High-resolution ocean color and sea surface temperature images reveal an abundance of fronts, swirls, vortices and filaments at scales below 10 km but measurements of ocean surface dynamics at these scales are rare
Large numbers of numerical and experimental studies highlight the global role played by small ocean features in air-sea interactions, upper-ocean mixing, ocean vertical transports and marine ecosystem response
Summary
Coastal and shelf seas provide vital resources and services to society including food, energy, transport and recreation, and mediate the transfer of terrestrial material from land to the open ocean (freshwater, carbon, nitrogen, plastics, and other pollutants). State-of-the-art regional coastal and shelf seas models already operate at hourly and kmscale resolutions, but progress is hampered by the scarcity of in situ and remote sensing observations available for validation, assimilation and development. Given their proximity and relevance to humans, simultaneous synoptic measurements of currents, winds and waves in coastal and shelf seas remain elusive, whether from spaceborne observatories or by other means. New observations have a crucial role to play to improve understanding and parameterizations of these critical processes in these extremely challenging environments
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