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Wave energy resource assessment with AltiKa satellite altimetry: A case study at a wave energy site
Author(s) -
GoddijnMurphy Lonneke,
Martín Míguez Belén,
McIlvenny Jason,
Gleizon Philippe
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl064490
Subject(s) - altimeter , significant wave height , satellite , wave height , crest , radar altimeter , geology , wind wave , satellite altimetry , meteorology , wave power , geodesy , remote sensing , radar , wave model , energy (signal processing) , environmental science , physics , mathematics , oceanography , statistics , telecommunications , quantum mechanics , astronomy , computer science
A simple model to estimate wave power at a coastal site from satellite radar altimetry is proposed. We used data from the AltiKa altimeter on board the SARAL satellite because of its superior performance near the coast. The deep water approximation was applied to our 60 m deep site along with a simple empirical model to estimate wave period, T , from altimeter significant wave height, H s , and backscattering coefficient, σ 0 . A known relation between zero‐crossing period, T z , and wave energy period, T E , was used in combination with H s to calculate wave power per meter wave crest ( P ). The annual and seasonal mean values of P using AltiKa parameters largely agreed with known ranges of P at the site. A comparison with shallower sites and sites closer to the coast revealed that for estimation of T z from AltiKa the water depth could be taken into account and an empirical relation is given.