Ocean Waves and Remote Sensing

Ocean surface waves arise from wind stress acting on the sea surface, and understanding how waves grow, propagate, and dissipate has consequences for weather forecasting, coastal hazard assessment, and the global exchange of heat and gases between the ocean and atmosphere. Satellite altimetry has transformed the discipline by providing near-global wave height measurements, enabling researchers to reconstruct wave climate trends and validate numerical wave models at scales previously impossible to achieve from ships alone. Active questions include the mechanisms behind rogue waves—anomalously large waves that appear without clear warning—and how surface wave breaking and Langmuir turbulence mediate momentum transfer during extreme events such as tropical cyclones. Improved coupling between wave models and atmospheric and ocean circulation models remains an open challenge, particularly as shifting wind patterns alter wave climates in ways that affect both marine ecosystems and coastal infrastructure.

Works

64,133

Total citations

726,501

Keywords

Ocean WavesWind StressWave ClimateRogue WavesTropical CyclonesWave Modeling