Use of satellite SAR systems to support ocean wind and wave farming

Kurzfassung

It is well known that satellite radar systems as flown on the ERS-2 or ENVISAT satellite are capable of providing high resolution information on the near surface ocean wind field and ocean waves independent of light or cloud conditions. In this presentation an overview is given of the retrieval of different geophysical parameters which are relevant for the optimal siting, the design and the operation of offshore wind farms and wave energy plants. Different examples of high resolution wind fields acquired over the wind parks "Horns Rev" and "Butendiek" in the North Sea are presented. Both image mode scenes of 100 km by 100 km size as well as wide swath images of 500 km by 500 km size are used for the investigation. Special emphasize is put on the use of the radar data for the analysis of small scale atmospheric phenomena like shadowing or turbulence as well as the estimation of ocean wave parameters like the significant wave height. High resolution maps of ocean wave parameters like significant wave height or wave period are presented. The presentation will also include the application of more ophisticated techniques like the use of Dual-Polarisation data available from ENVISAT. The final part of the presentation will deal with the next generation radar satellite TerraSAR-X launched in 2007. The spatial resolution of this instrument is in the order of 1 m, which is an order of magnitude better than the ENVISAT and ERS satellites used up to now. It has furthermore nterferometric capabilities, which enable the derivation of ocean current information. The potential as well as the limitations of this new instrument with respect to the offshore windfarming and wave farming sector will be discussed.