Airborne Remote Sensing of Upper-Ocean and Surface Properties, Currents and Their Gradients From Meso to Submesoscales
Lenain, Luc; Smeltzer, Benjamin Keeler; Pizzo, Nick; Maria, Freilich; Colosi, Luke; Ellingsen, Simen Andreas Ådnøy; Grare, Laurent; Peyriere, Hugo; Statom, Nick
Journal article, Peer reviewed
Published version

Date
2023Metadata
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Original version
Geophysical Research Letters Geophysical Research Letters Volume 50, Issue 8 10.1029/2022GL102468Abstract
In this work we present a unique set of coincident and collocated high-resolution observations of surface currents and directional properties of surface waves collected from an airborne instrument, the Modular Aerial Sensing System, collected off the coast of Southern California. High-resolution observations of near surface current profiles and shear are obtained using a new instrument, “DoppVis”, capable of capturing horizontal spatial current variability down to 128 m resolution. This data set provides a unique opportunity to examine how currents at scales ranging from 1 to 100 km modulate bulk (e.g., significant wave height), directional and spectral properties of surface gravity waves. Such observations are a step toward developing better understanding of the underlying physics of submesoscale processes (e.g., frontogenesis and frontal arrest) and the nature of transitions between mesoscale and submesoscale dynamics.