Microwave backscattering from the sea surface with breaking waves

Based on the effective medium approximation theory of composites, the whitecap-covered sea surface is treated as a medium layer of dense seawater droplets and air. Two electromagnetic scattering models of randomly rough surface are applied to the investigation of microwave backscattering of breaking waves driven by strong wind. The shapes of seawater droplets are considered by calculating the effective dielectric constant of the whitecap layer. The responses of seawater droplets shapes, such as sphere and ellipsoid, to the backscattering coefficient are discussed. Numerical results of the models are in good agreement with the experimental measurements of horizontally and vertically polarized backscattering at microwave frequency 13.9GHz and different incidence angles.

The Influence of Wind Speed and Sea States on Whitecap Coverage

Callaghan and White(2009) put forward the automated whitecap extraction(AWE) technique to determine the whitecap coverage(W). An improved AWE was used to analyze images collected in the South China Sea during 2012 and 2013 and in western Pacific during 2015 to determine W. The influences of meteorological and oceanographic factors on whitecap coverage were investigated in this study. It is found that W increases with wind speed. Scale factor and exponent of parameterization for W(U10) vary greatly in different models. Overall, there is a larger scatter of W at low wind speed than at high wind speed. W decreases with the increasing of wave age. Compared with wind speed, the scatter of W is smaller with wave age, which means the impact of wave age on the whitecap coverage is more robust under various environmental conditions. There is no significant dependence on SST and whitecap coverage seems to weakly decrease with SST. W decreases with the atmospheric stability. Relationship between W and wind speed change when swells are dominant. Swell can suppress wave breaking and decrease W. The effect is independent of the deflection angle between wind wave and swell.

Comparison Study on Wind Input and Whitecapping Dissipation Expressions in Numerical Simulation of Typhoon-Generated Waves

In order to investigate the effect of wind input and whitecapping dissipation on the simulation of typhoon-waves, three experiments are conducted with the latest version of SWAN （Simulating WAves Nearshore） model. The three experiments adopt the Komen, Janssens, and Westhuysen expressions for wind input and whitecapping dissipation, respectively. Besides the above-mentioned source tems, other parameterization schemes in these experiments are the same. It shows that the experiment with the Westhuysen expression result in the least simulation errors while that with the Janssens expression has the most. The results from the experiments with Komen and Westhuysen expressions show that the differenees in significant wave height （SWH） have a good correlation with the differences in dissipation energy caused by whiteeapping. This indicates that the whitecapping dissipation source term plays an important role in the resultant differences of the simulated SWH between the two experiments.

The improved model of estimating global whitecap coverage based on satellite data

The pro and con of whitecap parameterizations and a statistical wave breaking model are discussed. An improved model is derived by combining satellite-based parameterization and the wave breaking model. The appropriate constants for the general wave state are obtained by considering the breaking condition of the wave slope and fitting with the satellite-based parameterization. The result is close to the constants based on the whitecap data from Monahan. Comparing with satellite-based data and the original model＇s results, the improved model＇s results are consistent with satellite-based data and previous studies. The global seasonal distributions of the whitecap coverage averaged from 1998 to 2008 are presented. Spatial and seasonal features of the whitecap coverage are analyzed.

Probabilistic Models for the Probability of Wave Breaking and Whitecap Coverage Based on Kinematic Breaking Criterion

More and more researches show that neither the critical downward acceleration nor the critical slope of water waves is a universal constant. On the contrary, they vary with particular wave conditions. This fact renders the models either for the probability of wave breaking B or for the whitecap coverage W based on these criteria difficult to apply. In this paper and the one which follows we seek to develop models for the prediction of both B and W based on the kinematical criterion. First, several joint probabilistic distribution functions (PDFs) of wave characteristics are derived, based on which the breaking properties B and W are estimated. The estimation is made on the assumption that a wave breaks if the horizontal velocity of water particles at its crest exceeds the local wave celerity, and whitecapping occurs in regions of fluid where water particles travel faster than the waves. The consequent B and W depend on wave spectral moments of orders 0 to 4. Then the JONSWAP spectrum is used to represent the fetch limited sea waves in deep water, so as to relate the probability of wave breaking and the whitecap coverage with wind parameters. To this end, the time averaging technique proposed by Glazman (1986) is applied to the estimation of the spectral moments involved, and furthermore, the theoretical models are compared with available observations collected from published literature. From the comparison, the averaging time scale is determined. The final models show that the probability of wave breaking as well as the whitecap coverage depends on the dimensionless fetch. The agreement between these models and the database is reasonable.

The effect of current and wave on whitecap coverage via relative speed:the Atlantic Ocean case

Whitecapping plays an important role in many air-sea exchange and upper ocean processes.Traditionally,whitecap coverage is parameterized as a function of wind speed only.At present,the relative speed of ocean current to wind is considered to be important in the air-sea exchange parameterization which is the function of wind speed only.In this paper,the effects of ocean surface velocity (current velocity and wave induced velocity) and the wave parameters on whitecap coverage through relative speeds are investigated,by applying a 2-parameter whitecap coverage model to the Atlantic Ocean.It is found that the impacts of both current and wave on whitecap coverage are considerable in the most part of the Atlantic Ocean.It is interesting that the effect of wave is more significant than that of current.

Dependence of Estimating Whitecap Coverage on Currents and Swells

The shipboard measurements of whitecap coverage(W)and the meteorological and oceanographic information from two cruises in the South China Sea and Western Pacific are explored for estimating W.This study aims at evaluating how to im-prove the parameterizations of W while considering the effects of currents and swells on wave breaking.Currents indeed affect W in a way that winds with following currents can decrease W,whereas winds with opposing currents can increase W.Then,10-m wind speed over sea surface(U_(10))is calibrated by subtracting the current velocity from U_(10) when the propagating directions of winds and currents are aligned.By contrast,when the direction is opposite,U_(10) is calibrated by adding the parallel velocity com-ponent of the opposing current to U_(10).The power fits of W dependence on the U_(10)-related parameters of U_(10),friction velocity,wind sea Reynolds number in terms of this calibrated-U_(10) obtain better results than those directly fitted to U_(10).Different from the effect of currents on W,wind blowing along the crest line of swells may contribute to the increase in W.The conclusions suggest that U_(10) should be calibrated first before parameterizing W in areas with a strong current or some swell-dominant areas.

Parameterization of Wave Breaking Probability and Whitecap Coverage

The model for whitecap coverage and wave breaking probability are parameterized by the dimensionless wind fetch X^-. This paper aims at replacing X^- with other parameters such as the average wave period T^-, wind speed U10 or wave age ξ in order to improve the suitability and convenience of the model for application. First, W and B are expressed in terms of T^- and U10, which are relatively easy to measure in the field. Further, U10 is replaced with the friction velocity U. by use of the empirical relationship. As wave age has been widely used to parameterize spectral models of ocean waves and air-sea fluxes, W and B are then expressed as a simple function of wave age, respectively. The new forms of the model obtained are W= 1 - Ф（3.02ξ0＂76） and B = exp（ - 4.54ξ^1.52） . The two forms are mere applicable in pracrice, since ξ is relatively easy to measure or determine from wave and wind records. Comparisons between these expressions and data collected from published literature are made and agreement is fairly good.

Parameterization of the sea spray generation function with whitecap coverage

Sea spray droplets are produced by waves breaking on the sea surface, and they vary the transfer of energy between the atmosphere and ocean. The sea spray generation function(SSGF) is generally considered as a function of the initial radius of the spray droplets and the wind speed. However, ocean waves always exist at the air-sea interface, so it is not reasonable to consider only the effect of sea surface winds while ignoring the effects of ocean waves. Whitecap coverage is an important characteristic parameter of breaking waves, and researchers believe that this parameter is related to both wave state and wind speed. In this paper, the SSGF is parameterized by the whitecap coverage, and a new SSGF describing different droplet radii is organically integrated based on the whitecap coverage parameter. Then, with the relationship between the whitecap coverage and wave state, the influence of ocean waves on the SSGF for different wave states was analyzed by using observational data in the laboratory. The results show that the new SSGF that considers wave effects can reasonably describe the droplet generation process under different wave state conditions.

An analytically derived whitecap coverage model

Joint probability function of local surfaces-particle and phase velocities is derived for a stationary Gaussianwave field with narrow-band spectrum. From the function a model of whitecap coverage is further derived by using thekinematic condition (including the effect of drift current) for wave breaking. The drift current velocity in the model isthen replaced by the friction velocity through an existing empirical formula. A coefficient in the model for relating temporal and spatial scales of wave breaking is determined by using an existing empirical formula of oceanic whitecap coverage and the well-known Pierson-Moskowitz spectrum. The main features of the model agree well with our generalknowledge and observational evidence on wave breaking in deep waters.

An Improved Method of Retrieving Sea Surface Wind Speed Based on a Four-Layer Medium Model at High Sea States

Considering about the effect of whitecaps and foams on pulse-limited Radar Altimeters, an improved algorithm of retrieving sea surface wind speed is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a four-layer dielectric model is established in order to simulate an air-sea interface. Secondly, the microwave reflectivity of a sea surface covered by spray droplets and foams at 13.5 GHz is computed based on the established model. These computed results show that the effect of spray droplets and foams in high sea state conditions shall not be negligible on retrieving sea surface wind speed. Finally, compared with the analytical algorithms proposed by Zhao and some calculated results based on a three-layer dielectric model, an improved algorithm of retrieving sea surface wind speed is presented. At a high wind speed, the improved algorithm is in a better accord with some empirical algorithms such as Brown, Young ones and et al., and also in a good agreement with ZT and other algorithms at low wind speed. This new improved algorithm will be suitable not only for low wind speed retrieval, but also for high wind speed retrieval. Better accuracy and effectiveness of wind speed retrieval can also be obtained.

A Whitecap Coverage Model Based on the Surface Slope For Criterion of Wave Breaking

Using the limit surface slope as a criterion of wave breaking, a simple model for estimating the spatial fraction of breaking surface of sea at an instant, which is regarded as the whitecap coverge in this paper, is analytically derived from the probability density of surface slope based on Gaussian statistics. The resulting fraction is found depending on the fourth moment of wave spectum, m(4), as well as the critical threshold of surface slope. By expressing the fourth moment in terms of the Neumann spectrum, a formula linking the fraction and wind speed for fully developed sea states is obtianed. Another formula relating the fraction to both wind speed and fetch (or duration) is achieved by expressing m, in terms of the Krylov spectrum and applying the empirical relationships used in the SMB ocean wave predicting technique. A comparison between these results and the field data of whitecap coverage collected by Monahan and O'Muircheartuigh shows an encouraging agreement.

Application of effective medium approximation theory to ocean remote sensing under wave breaking

Based on the effective medium approximation theory of composites, the empirical model proposed by Pandey and Kakar is remedied to investigate the microwave emissivity of sea surface under wave breaking driven by strong wind. In the improved model, the effects of seawater bubbles, droplets and difference in temperature of air and sea interface (DTAS) on the emissivity of sea surface covered by whitecaps are discussed. The model results indicate that the effective emissivity of sea surface in-creases with DTAS increasing, and the impacts of bubble structures and thickness of whitecaps layer on the emissivity are included in the model by introducing the effective dielectric constant of whitecaps layer. Moreover, a good agreement is obtained by comparing the model results with the Rose’s ex-perimental data.

STATISTICS OF BREAKING WAVES AND ITS APPLICATION TO UPPER OCEAN DYNAMICS

Based on the improved statistics model of breaking waves, we have calculated the following statistical quantities: S_t, breaking area ratio generated per unit time; V_t, the volume of water mass thrown out from the wave surface due to breaking on a unit area per unit time; (?)_t, the breaking energy loss rate on a unit area per unit time. Under the high sea state, the phase change governed by wave breaking is mechanistic. Based on the physical and dimensional consideration we have also derived the statistical quantities of upper ocean dynamics such as whitecap coverage, exchange fluxes in the high sea state and turbulence degree in the subsurface layer. The theoretical results are consistent with the existing experimental data.