Impact of the sea state on altimeter measurements in coastal regions.

In this study, nadir altimeter radar measurements are used to improve wind speed and sea state information in coastal regions, more precisely the north Indian Ocean. A methodology is suggested to combine the Ku- and C-band radar measurements, their difference, the measured significant wave height (HS) parameter and its along-track gradient. A dimensionlessHSis used to recover empirical dependencies for fetch-limited wind wave development in this coastal region. As obtained, these simultaneous measurements can be efficiently combined to more precisely separate wind-related short-scale wave contributions from large-scale wave components, related to the local sea state degree of development. As demonstrated, this development helps to gain valuable insights concerning the use of altimeter measurements in coastal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]