HR: 1330h
AN: OS32B-0248    [PDF]
TI: Airborne Sea-Surface Topography in an Absolute Reference Frame
AU: * Brozena, J M
EM: john.brozena@nrl.navy.mil
AF: Navak Research Lab, Code 7420, 4555 Overlook Ave SW, Washington, DC 20375 United States
AU: Childers, V A
EM: vicki.childers@nrl.navy.mil
AF: Navak Research Lab, Code 7420, 4555 Overlook Ave SW, Washington, DC 20375 United States
AU: Jacobs, G
EM: jacobs@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Lab, Code 7320, Stennis Space Center, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 United States
AU: Blaha, J
EM: blahaj@navo.navy.mil
AF: Naval Oceanographic Office, Stennis Space Center, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 United States
AB: Highly dynamic coastal ocean processes occur at temporal and spatial scales that cannot be captured by the present generation of satellite altimeters. Space-borne gravity missions such as GRACE also provide time-varying gravity and a geoidal msl reference surface at resolution that is too coarse for many coastal applications. The Naval Research Laboratory and the Naval Oceanographic Office have been testing the application of airborne measurement techniques, gravity and altimetry, to determine sea-surface height and height anomaly at the short scales required for littoral regions. We have developed a precise local gravimetric geoid over a test region in the northern Gulf of Mexico from historical gravity data and recent airborne gravity surveys. The local geoid provides a msl reference surface with a resolution of about 10-15 km and provides a means to connect airborne, satellite and tide-gage observations in an absolute (WGS-84) framework. A series of altimetry reflights over the region with time scales of 1 day to 1 year reveal a highly dynamic environment with coherent and rapidly varying sea-surface height anomalies. AXBT data collected at the same time show apparent correlation with wave-like temperature anomalies propagating up the continental slope of the Desoto Canyon. We present animations of the temporal evolution of the surface topography and water column temperature structure down to the 800 m depth of the AXBT sensors.
DE: 4219 Continental shelf processes
DE: 4263 Ocean prediction
DE: 4283 Water masses
DE: 4294 Instruments and techniques
DE: 4546 Nearshore processes
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting