Altimetry for Coastal Applications. Paul M. DiGiacomo and Amanda Bittinger NOAA CoastWatchatch Program 5 February 2008

Transcription

1 Altimetry for Coastal Applications Paul M. DiGiacomo and Amanda Bittinger NOAA CoastWatchatch Program 5 February 2008

2 IGOS COASTAL THEME REPORT Published January 2006, IOC ocs/theme_reports/igos%20 COASTAL%20REPORT%20 midrez.pdf Also see related article: Christian et al., Opportunities and Challenges of Establishing Coastal Observing Systems,, Estuaries and Coasts. 29(5):

3 IGOS COASTAL THEME REPORT Sea-surface height measurements in the coastal zone require improved spatial and temporal resolution and coverage, perhaps leveraging technologies such as wide-swath (resolution of km), delayed-doppler, or GPS (Global Positioning System) altimetry. Improved models are also needed to accurately remove tidal signals. ls.

4 Coastal (Land-Sea) Observing Requirements Common needs & gaps vis-à-vis existing and planned capabilities: Existing global observing assets generally provide inadequate spatial, temporal and spectral resolution. Continuity required of some existing capabilities for context and assessment of climate variability and change. Some observations needed for coastal users not presently made, especially synoptically and/or from space. IGOS Coastal Theme Report, 2006

5 Coastal Observing Challenges and Priorities IGOS Coastal Theme Report, 2006

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7 Coastal GOOS The coastal sea level distributions are more difficult to monitor with altimeters; the high spatial & temporal (e.g. tidal) variability require particular care must be exercised to avoid aliasing sea level and bathymetry. altimetry breaks down within 20 km of the shoreline

8 Proposed GOOS Project: Global Storm Surges and Flooding Risk Unfunded The main objective of this project would be to construct a storm surge modeling system with global coverage that can provide short-term term forecasts and decadal-scale hindcasts, and also be used for climate change scenarios. Products Generated Short term (hours to days) forecasts of storm surges for the global coastal ocean. Reanalyses of surge variability for the global coastal ocean based on the best available wind and air pressure reanalyses for recent decades. Quality control of real-time and archived coastal sea level observations (including data from GLOSS stations). Spatial maps and trends in flooding risk over recent decades, and validation against return periods calculated from hourly coastal tide gauge data. Projections of flooding risk over the next century under plausible global sea level rise scenarios.

9 Published January 2008, Ocean.US,, available at: oceanus_publications Identifies regional remote sensing needs of U.S. users in context of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), the U.S. contribution to GOOS/GEOSS.

10 Representative IOOS Users

11 General Categories of Information IOOS Users Desire 1. Near-real real-time data and nowcasts for navigation, fisheries, aquaculture, water quality, scientific investigations, and othero uses 2. Early warning capacity for HABs,, flooding erosion, ice extent/ coverage, et al. 3. Long-term trends and change detection for habitats (ocean, terrestrial and benthic), water quality, fisheries, land cover and land use, sea level rise, carbon and water cycles, and other climate change issues 4. Indices, thresholds and proxies for management purposes 5. Education and visualization products for informal and formal audiences

12 Regional Coastal Remote Sensing Workshop Report Short-Term Needs: Bring altimeter tracks closer to the coast to increase coverage in the coastal zone; Facilitate user access to along-track altimeter data for higher-resolution applications. Long-Term Needs: High spatial resolution (up to 1 km desired) and better coverage near the coast are needed for sea surface height measurements, such as from a wide-swath altimeter, to resolve mesoscale and other undersampled coastal and oceanic features as well as provide important information regarding sea level change. Ensure continuity of precision altimetry, continuing the Jason series, eventually implementing swath altimetry for enhanced coastal use.

13 Altimetry Use and General Needs Geophysical Observations Sea surface height Surface wave height & direction Tsunamis Currents Storm surge Ice cover Tides Geostrophic velocity Vorticity Evaluation of new applications General Higher resolution Time series needed Near-Real Real-Time distribution Minimal Cost Regional users should be included on derivation of products Telecommunication requirements Transition to swath altimetry Ensure continuity of precision altimetry Mapping Land Topography Bathymetry

14 Representative Applications Model assimilation (i.e. coastal circulation, sea level, storm surge, wave height, etc) for short- term forecasts, decadal-scale hindcasts, and climate change Geostrophic velocity calculations Eddy kinetic velocity calculations Bathymetry for surveyed depths and marine mammal behavior analysis Research into synoptic ocean properties NRT ocean circulation Sea level measurements

15 Identified Concerns with Satellite Data & Distribution Difficult to use formats require expensive processing systems to create usable forms. Lack of quality information and statistics. Lack the technical skill to derive products and provide interpretation. High cost. Access difficulty. Packaging and advertising requires improvement. Inability to identify optimum satellite products. Altimetry data breaks down within 20km of the shoreline.

16 NOAA CoastWatch Program MISSION STATEMENT: to provide and ensure timely access to near real-time satellite data to protect, restore, and manage U.S. coastal ocean resources, and understand climate variability and change to further enhance society's quality of life. Our primary users include Federal, State, and local marine scientists, coastal resource managers, and the general public. National distribution: Central operations & six regional nodes Numerous satellite ocean remote sensing products served, including: Ocean Color: GeoEye/SeaWiFS; NASA Aqua and Terra/MODIS. Sea Surface Temperature: POES/ AVHRR and GOES/Imager; NASA Aqua and Terra/MODIS. Ocean Surface Winds: DMSP SSM/I and NASA QuikSCAT/SeaWinds. Contact:

17 CoastWatch Regional Nodes Alaska Node: Anchorage, AK Great Lakes Node: Ann Arbor, MI West Coast Node: Monterey, CA Central Pacific Node: Honolulu, HI East Coast Node: Annapolis, MD Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico Node Stennis, MS and Miami, FL

18 CoastWatch Regional Nodes Alaska Node: Anchorage, AK Great Lakes Node: Ann Arbor, MI West Coast Node: Monterey, CA Central Pacific Node: Honolulu, HI East Coast Node: Annapolis, MD Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico Node Stennis, MS and Miami, FL

19 Loggerhead track over SSH and geostrophic currents for October (A), November 2003 (B), December 2003 (C), and January 2004 (D) (Courtesty of Jeff Polovina)

20 (Courtesty of Jeff Polovina)

21 NOAA CoastWatch Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico Node Use of altimetry to obtain Near-Real Real-Time SHA fields and geostrophic currents. Data from drifter buoys allows scientists to validate and provide insight to the quality surface current field estimates. These two animations show the geostrophic current field. The drifter paths are overlaid on top of it. (Courtesy of Joaquin Trinanes & Gustavo Goni)

22 AOML/CW collaborates with the Semester at Sea Program. As part of this collaboration, the laboratory serves NRT satellite parameters, including altimeter based currents.

23 These fields have provided information on currents to the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR).

24 VOR: The Products Before arriving on the east coast of the United States, all the sailboats have to cross the strong currents of the Gulf Stream, which have surface velocities of up to 5 knots. The map on the right shows the surface currents as observed by satellite altimeters in March An altimeter measures the sea height, which is proportional to the velocity of the surface currents. ` We can observe the meandering of the Gulf Stream, and the warm and cold eddies associated with it. The colors indicate sea surface height, with the core of the Gulf Stream (reds and oranges) several feet higher than its surrounding waters. (Courtesy of Joaquin Trinanes)

25 This is a snapshot of one of the VOR pages showing the current field. The data files in GRIB format were available from our ftp server.

26 NOAA CoastWatch Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico Node Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential (TCHP) SST SHA D26 TCHP Altimetry can serve to infer ocean subsurface characteristics.. In collaboration with AOML/PhOD PhOD, the Node distributes NRT estimates of global SHA, depths of the 20ºC and 26ºC isotherms and TCHP. All the TCHP fields, except for the Tropical Atlantic,, are being used by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center for intensity forecast. (Courtesy of Gustavo Goni)

27 One Node s s Perspective on Coastal Altimetry High spatial and temporal resolution are desired in order to study high frequency mesoscale processes. Do we need a constellation? Synergy with other parameters (SST, Chl-a, etc.) can help. Properly implemented wide-swath altimetry will greatly increase our knowledge on coastal and open ocean dynamics. Great importance in very high dynamic areas such as East and South Florida. It would improve transport estimates for this and other regions. Improve storm surge estimates and provide an indication of upwelling status. Important to develop a robust data-distribution distribution scheme Will help evaluate fluxes Infrastructure and personnel needed to evaluate data for new and improved altimetry products and applications specific to coastal observing requirements.

28 A series of CZCP regional users workshops is currently being planned: GEOSS Support for Decision-Making in the Coastal Zone: Managing and Mitigating the Impacts of Human Activities and Natural Hazards In the Coastal Zone First workshop: GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice (CZCP) Observing System Requirements for Managing and Mitigating the Impacts of Human Activities and Coastal Inundation in the Mediterranean Region ion, to take place 9-13 June 2008, Athens, Greece; locally hosted by Greek GEO Office (by invitation only). See for further details.

29 GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice (CZCP) First CZCP Workshop: Observing System Requirements for Managing and Mitigating the Impacts of Human Activities and Coastal Inundation in the Mediterranean Region. Specific objectives of the Workshop: Compare scientifically sound scenarios for (1) time-space extent of coastal inundation and storm surge in the coastal zone and for impacts of coastal flooding on coastal (2) infrastructure, (3) human health risks (exposure to waterborne pathogens), (4) ecosystems (e.g., water quality, habitats, biodiversity), b and (5) living resources (organisms and habitats). Assess current observing system capacities for providing the data and information required to assess changes in susceptibility (risk and resilience) ience) both temporally (annual to decadal scales) and spatially (100 meter to 1 kilometer resolution). Increase awareness among coastal planners and managers of geospatial patterns of susceptibility and causes of changes in susceptibility, both short term (e.g., coastal engineering) and long term (e.g., changes in sea level). l).

30 GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice (CZCP) A series of CZCP regional users workshops is currently being planned: GEOSS Support for Decision-Making in the Coastal Zone: Managing and Mitigating the Impacts of Human Activities and Natural Hazards In the Coastal Zone Second workshop: Tentatively planned for October 2008 in Accra, Ghana; hosted by the African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment (AARSE) in association with their upcoming meeting. Third and fourth regional workshops: Targeting workshops in the Americas and Asia in the 2009 timeframe. me.