The SKIM team just proposed a 'Sea surface KInematics Multiscale monitoring mission' (SKIM) for the Earth Explorer 9 call of the European Space Agency. Final selection results are due in December 2016. We are crossing fingers, but instead of just waiting, we can certainly build up a supportive community to make the case for these measurements.
(go to http://www.umr-lops.fr/Projets/Projets-actifs/SKIM )
The submitted proposal is here
ftp://ftp.ifremer.fr/ifremer/ww3/TEAM/EE9/EE9_SKIM_V12.pdf
SKIM is designed to measure the frequency-direction spectrum of waves down to 20 m wavelength (or better), together with the surface current vector. These are truly multi-scale measurements with pixel sizes ranging from 3 m in range and 400 m in the other direction to full footprints of 6 by 6 km. The expected error obviously decreases with the averaging, with 10 cm/s error at 6 km for radial components.
So what would you do with this kind of data?
In our mind, the area that most needs good directional wave spectra in the nearshore community: run-up and nearshore currents are strongly dependent on the mean direction and spread of the waves. Spread in frequency and direction are also important for extreme waves (the Hmax/Hs ratio varies with the width of the spectrum).
Then the polar orbit provides excellent coverage up to 83°N, so it is a great opportunity for looking at waves and sea ice. The use of a velocity-derived spectrum means that we should also get wave spectra in the ice (the usual empirical scattering MTF is not needed)
Finally, resolving relatively short wave components (SKIM can likely go down to 10 m wavelength), means that we can resolve a good part of the waves that carry the wind stress and the Stokes drift, and investigate deviations of the stress vector from the wind direction as well as direct wind work on the current.
We envisage nice application to microseism and microbaroms as we will for the first time have full spectra without 180° ambiguity on the propagation direction, but there may be amny other things to do on microplastics or other topics...
http://www.umr-lops.fr/Projets/Projets-actifs/SKIM
https://www.facebook.com/SKIM4EE9/
To investigate the air-sea interaction on a sea-breeze dominated environment! Looking forward to get such information for the wide and shallow Yucatan shelf, where in situ data is scarce, in order to improve our understanding on role of waves and currents in the sediment and pollution transport along the northern Yucatán Peninsula!
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