Development and application of a global satellite database of wind and wave conditions

Abstract

© 2015 by ASME. Oceanographic satellites have now been in operation for almost 30 years, collecting global data on oceanic winds and waves. During this period, a variety of satellites have been operational. These include altimeters (wind speed and wave height), SSMI radiometers (wind speed), scatterometers (wind speed and direction) and Synthetic Aperture Radar, SAR (full directional wave spectrum). Data from these instruments potentially represents an invaluable resource for offshore engineering design and facilities operation. This paper describes the development of a unique database containing data from all these instruments over their full periods of operation. The paper will describe th..