Retrieving Sea Wave Spectra Based on High Resolution Satellite Imagery under Different Conditions of Wave Generation

A method for retrieving sea wave spectra from space images of high spatial resolution has been developed for various conditions of wave generation based on the use of retrieving operators in the form of spatial-frequency filters, the parameters of which are adjusted to real conditions. The adequacy of the method is tested using the data of multidisciplinary experiments carried out in the coastal waters of the Black Sea and in the open waters of the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii by comparing the wave spectra in the frequency range 0.29–0.59 Hz (wavelengths 4.5–20 m) retrieved from the satellite images of the QuickBird and Resurs-P satellites with the spectra measured using wave buoys. The value of the retrieving parameter of the spatial-frequency filter for the section of the power-law decay of the wave frequency spectrum is updated based on the results of the studies. This value is estimated as –0.05 applied to complex wave formation conditions (long fetch, wave system of wind waves and various swell waves), which differs from the previously estimated values of –0.43 in the conditions of limited fetch.