Abstract
It is demonstrated with ESSA satellite photographs that sunglintpatterns can be separated into several categories as a function of ocean roughness conditions. The small, but intensely brilliant, sunglint characterizes a calm sea (swell may be ignored). Highly variable brightness patterns result from reflections MY a slightly roughened ocean surface with irregularly interspersed patches or swaths of smooth water. These frequently observed patterns typify those lower wind speeds (ca. 5 m sec −1) where atmospheric stability becomes a critical factor in wave development. A third category comprises yet rougher seas that diffuse the solar image to such an extent (i.e., the reflection pattern is characterized by low intensity and great expanse) that the sunglint is barely discernible. Data suggest this threshold occurs at winds near 10 m sec −1 for the present generation of ESSA satellites. Using wave-slope statistics, which are governed by wind stress, a model is offered for mapping satellite-observed sunglint patterns onto an Earth-coordinate system.
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