Abstract
At an IUGG-IUTAM Symposium in 1966 at Kyoto, Japan, a brief paper by me made some general comments on our inadequate understanding and knowledge of the planetary boundary layer over the oceans.* The possibility that earth orbiting spacecraft could measure waves over the ocean and provide data from which very high quality synoptic surface weather maps and wind fields could be determined was described.
In 1978, an experimental spacecraft at an altitude of 800 km in a 108° retrograde orbit with a period of 100 minutes will test these concepts and provide global coverage of the vector wind field over the oceans, of water vapor and rainfall, and of wave conditions. Partial coverage of sea ice conditions in the arctic and antarctic will also be obtained. Three different kinds of radar, a passive microwave system at five frequencies, with two polarizations for each frequency, and a visible band and infrared band imaging system make up the remote sensors on this spacecraft.
Two of the radars, the altimeter and the scatterometer, were tested on SKYLAB, and an altimeter is currently on GEOS-3. Extensive tests of the scatterometer and the third radar (a synthetic aperture imaging radar) have been made from aircraft.
The present status of our research on the scatterometer is that the speed and direction of winds from about 4 M/S to 24 M/S (and probably even higher) can be determined and that above about 7 M/S the speed can be found to about ±0.5 M/S and the direction to about ±15°. Several hundred thousand vector winds will be determined each day.
SEASAT-A, and the spacecraft that will follow it, will initiate a new era in improved meteorological forecasts because of the improved initial value specification of the planetary boundary layer over the ocean. Fluxes of momentum, heat and H2O across the air-sea interface can be determined without gaps due to missing ship reports to great accuracy by means of the bulk aerodynamic equations and other methods. The winds over the ocean will be known more accurately than ever before. Also information on radiation fluxes is potentially available.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Anding, C. and P. Walker (1975): Use of Sky lab EREP Data in a Sea-Surface Temperature Experiment. NASA CR-144479.
Cardone, V. J. (1969): Specification of the Wind Field Distribution in the Marine Boundary Layer for Wave Forecasting Rep. TR 69–1, Geophys. Science Lab., New York Univ.
Cardone, V. J., J. D. Young, W. J. Pierson, R. K. Moore, et al. (1976): The Measurement of the Winds Near the Ocean Surface with a Radiometer Scatterometer on SKYLAB. A Joint Meteorological, Oceanographic, and Sensor Evaluation Program for Experiment S193 on SKYLAB. NASA CR-147487.
Elsberry, R. F., N.A.S. Pearson, and L. G. Corgnati Jr. (1974): A Quasi-imperical Model of the Hurricane Boundary Layer. J. Geophys. Res., Vol. 79, pp. 3033–3040.
Feldman, G. (1977): Average Return Pulse Form for the GEOS-3 Radar Altimeter as a Function of Ocean Wave Conditions. Master’s Thesis The City College of New York.
Garrett, J. R. (1977): Review of Drag Coefficients over Oceans and Continents. Monthly Weather Rev., Vol. 105, No. 7, pp. 915–929.
Grantham, W. L., E. M. Bracalente, W. L. Jones, et. al. (1975): An Operational Satellite Scatterometer for Wind Vector Measurements over the Ocean. NASA TM X-72672 Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia.
Hasselmann, K., D. B. Ross, P. Muller and W. Sell, (1976): A Parametric Wave Prediction Model. J. Phys. Oceanogr., Vol. 6, pp. 200–228.
Hofmeister, E. L., R. N. Keeney, T. W. Godbey and R. J. Berg (1976): Data User’s Handbook and Design Error Analysis GEOS-C Radar Altimeter Volume 1, Prepared under Contract Number NASA 62619 and APL 372165. General Electric Co., Utica, New York.
Isozaki, I. and T. Uji (1974): Numerical Model of Marine Surface Winds and its Application to the Prediction of Ocean Wind Waves. Papers in Meteorology and Geophysics.
Jacobs, W. C. (1951): The Energy Exchange between the Sea and the Atmosphere and Some of its Consequences. Bull. Scripps Inst, of Oceanography, Univ. of Calif., Vol. 6, pp. 27–122.
Jones, W. L., L. C. Schroeder, and J. L. Mitchell (1977): Aircraft Measurements of the Microwave Scattering Signature of the Ocean. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, Special Joint Issue on Radio Oceanography, Volume 0E-2, pp. 52–60.
Kaitala, J. E. (1974): Heating Functions and Moisture Source Terms in the FNWC Primative Equation Models Printed Lecture Notes, Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, California.
Longuit-Higgins, M. S. (1963): The Effect of Non-linearities on Statistical Distributions in the Theory of Sea Waves. J. Fluid Mech., Vol. 17, 3, pp. 459–480.
Malkus, J. S. (1962): Large Scale Interactions. The Sea, Vol. 1, pp. 88–294. Edited by M. N. Hill, Interscience, New York-London.
McCandless, S. W. and V. J. Cardone (1976): SEASAT-A Oceanographic Data Systems and Users. IAF XXVII Congress, 76–061 Session 33.
Neumann, G. and W. J. Pierson (1966): Principles of Physical Oceanography. Prentice Hall 545 pp.
Pierson, W. J. (1964): The Interpretation of Wave Spectrums in Terms of the Wind Profile instead of the Wind Measured at a Constant Height J. Geophys. Res., 69, 5191–5203.
Pierson, W. J. (1967): Importance of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer over the Oceans in Synoptic Scale Meteorology in Boundary Layers and Turbulence. The Physic s of Fluids Supplement 1976 American Institute of Physics Paper S203.
Pierson, W. J. (1976): The Theory and Applications of Ocean Wave Measuring Systems at and below the Sea Surface, on the Land, from Aircraft, and from Spacecraft. NASA CR-2642.
Pierson, W. J. (1977): Comments on “A Parametric Wave Prediction Model”. J. Phys. Oceanogr. Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 127–134.
Pierson, W. J. and R. K. Moore (1972): The Extrapolation of Laboratory and Aircraft Radar Sea Return Data to Spacecraft Altitudes in Proc. Fourth Annual Earth Resources Review MSC Houston, Texas (NASA).
Pierson, W. J., V. J. Cardone, and J. A. Greenwood (1974): The Applications of SEASAT-A to Meteorology. University Institute of Oceanography, prepared for the SPOC group of NOAA/NESS.
Pierson, W. J. and V. J. Cardone (1977): Ocean Surface Winds from SEASAT-A OTC paper 2762. Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas May 2–5 1977.
Privett, D. W. (1960): The Exchange of Energy Between the Atmosphere and the Oceans of the Southern Hemisphere. Geophysical Memoir No. 104 M.O. 631d LONDON; Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
Rao, M. S. V., W. V. Abbott III and J. S. Theon (1976): Satellite-Derived Global Oceanic Rainfall Atlas (1973 and 1974). NASA SP-410 Scientific and Technical Information Office NASA Washington, D.C.
Trenberth, K. E. and A. A. Neale (1977): Numerical Weather Prediction in New Zealand. Monthly Wea. Rev., Vol. 105, No. 7, pp. 817–825.
Walsh, E. J. (1977): Extraction of Ocean Wave Heights from GEOS-3 Altimeter Data NASA Wallops Flight Center (Unpublished manuscript).
Wilheit, T. T., MSV Rao, T. C. Chang, E. G. Rogers and J. S. Theon (1975): A Satellite Technique for Quantitatively Mapping Rainfall Rates over the Oceans NASA/GSFC TMX-70904 also (1977). J. App. Meteor., Vol. 16, No. 5, May pp. 551–560.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1978 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pierson, W.J. (1978). The Potential Impact of Seasat-A on the Study of the Planetary Boundary Layer Over the Ocean. In: Favre, A., Hasselmann, K. (eds) Turbulent Fluxes Through the Sea Surface, Wave Dynamics, and Prediction. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-9806-9_34
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-9806-9_34
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-9808-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-9806-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive