Open AccessAirborne remote sensing applications to coastal wave research
Author(s) -
Hwang Paul A.,
Walsh Edward J.,
Krabill William B.,
Swift Robert N.,
Manizade Serdar S.,
Scott John F.,
Earle Marshall D.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/98jc00895
Subject(s) - remote sensing , geology , swell , surface wave , continental shelf , wind wave , wavenumber , radar , displacement (psychology) , dissipation , geodesy , meteorology , aerospace engineering , oceanography , physics , optics , engineering , psychology , psychotherapist , thermodynamics
Airborne sensors provide effective coverage of a broad region and are suitable for large‐scale experiments. In this paper, two scanning sensors that use the direct ranging technique to measure surface wave displacement are described. On a NASA P‐3 aircraft the sensors can complete one run across a 100‐km continental shelf in 17 min. A case study is presented using radar‐measured, two‐dimensional surface topography to derive wave damping due to bottom friction. The results are in good agreement with an analytical model based on a quadratic formulation of bottom shear stress. This study demonstrates that remote sensing measurements can be used for rapid characterization of surface waves on the continental shelf and in coastal regions. Examples illustrated in this paper include the derivation of wavenumber spectra and estimation of the dissipation rate of shoaling ocean swell.