SATELLITE MEASUREMENTS ENABLE THE PROVISION OF RELIABLE METOCEAN PARAMETERS

Once specific corrections have been made, satellite altimeters offer all-weather, world-wide, dense and reliable significant wave heights and wind speeds, similar to the ones currently used in engineering. Of particular importance is the quality of altimeter measurements of significant wave heights in storm conditions as a prerequisite for extreme prediction purposes. Altimeter measurements of sea-surface instantaneous heights are also used in the prediction of extreme surges.

The combined use of measurements from ERS altimeter, scatterometer and SAR-Synthetic Aperture Radar - in wave mode, allows the determination of a total directional wave height spectrum, including both wind-sea and swell components. It represents a tremendous contribution to operational studies, since it provides most of the sea-state spectral parameters currently used by engineers.

The ERS scatterometer also offers accurate world-wide and all-weather wind vector measurements. This scatterometer is also operationally used to determine the ice cover in polar areas.

MétéoMer analyses and uses sea-surface SAR images, with high benefits for metocean studies (coastal phenomena and processes, pollution detection, internal waves, …)

The satellite microwave passive imagery brings fruitful information for metocean studies, used either directly - in the determination of the antartic convergence for ship routes, for instance, or as a qualitative complement.

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