REMOTELY SENSED WINDS AND WIND STRESSES FOR MARINE FORECASTING AND OCEAN MODELING

Ocean surface vector winds (OSVW) are used to estimate momentum transfer (surface stress) between the atmosphere and ocean, and are critically important for determining the large scale ocean circulation and transport. Vector winds are needed to estimate the ageostrophic (Ekman) component of ocean currents, and consequently are linked to atmospheric and oceanographic upwelling and downwelling, coastal upwelling, primary productivity, cross shelf transport,
ice transport, mixed layer evolution, and deep water formation. Accurate wind speeds are also essential for reliable computations of air/sea heat fluxes (e.g., sensible and latent heat fluxes) as well as mass fluxes (e.g., CO2 and H2O), making surface winds critically important for budgeting energy, moisture and Carbon, and for studies of ocean acidification. Wind and wave information are essential for marine safety.