Ocean Waves and Remote Sensing

Ocean surface waves arise from the transfer of energy between wind and water, and understanding that exchange is central to predicting weather, ocean circulation, and coastal hazards. Researchers use a combination of numerical wave models and satellite altimetry—which measures sea surface height from orbit—to reconstruct wave climates across the global ocean and track how storm systems like tropical cyclones generate extreme sea states. Rare but dangerous rogue waves, which appear to exceed the heights statistical models would predict, remain an active puzzle, as does the role of Langmuir turbulence in mixing heat and gases across the air-sea boundary. Improving these models matters not only for maritime safety but for climate projections, since the roughness of the ocean surface directly controls how much momentum, heat, and carbon dioxide the atmosphere and ocean exchange.

Works

63,750

Total citations

721,919

Keywords

Ocean WavesWind StressWave ClimateRogue WavesTropical CyclonesWave Modeling