EGU2020-9454
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-9454
EGU General Assembly 2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Ocean surface dynamics derived from TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X and hydrodynamic modeling

Andreas Lehmann1 and Steffen Suchandt2
Andreas Lehmann and Steffen Suchandt
  • 1GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics, Kiel, Germany (alehmann@geomar.de)
  • 2German Aerospace Center (DLR), Remote Sensing Technology Institute, Wessling, Germany (steffen.suchandt@dlr.de)

Dynamical processes at the ocean surface are of high interest because they control the exchange processes between ocean and atmosphere. Furthermore, ocean surface drift determines the dispersion of heat, salt and material such as harmful substances or plastic litter. Still the measurement of ocean surface currents is a challenge because of wave and wave-breaking processes. Here we demonstrate the usefulness of TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X data to determine ocean surface currents, wave and wind fields. Up to now there are no spatially resolved ocean surface currents measurements available, so that for the validation of surface currents a combined SAR and hydrodynamic modeling methodology is applied. Ocean surface currents are derived from SAR Along-track Interferometry, and the hydrodynamic model is a coupled wave sea ice-ocean model of the Baltic Sea. The model is driven by ERA-Interim atmospheric reanalysis data. Hydrodynamic model data are also used to support the geophysical interpretation of the multiparametrical information of the ocean surface provided by SAR.

How to cite: Lehmann, A. and Suchandt, S.: Ocean surface dynamics derived from TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X and hydrodynamic modeling, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-9454, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-9454, 2020