Because of the high wind conditions and high sea state, the eddy is less conspicuous in this scene. During high sea states and high winds, the direct surface signature of the eddy was not clearly visible, but the wave refraction in the eddy area was observed. The rays of the wave field are traced-out directly from the SAR image. The ray pattern gives information on the refraction pattern and on the relative variation of the wave energy along a ray through wave-current interaction. These observations, derived directly from SAR images, have been simulated by a ray-tracing model with a surface current field associated with the eddy.
Numerical simulations can help interpret remote sensing data of the ocean surface.
This description was prepared by Tony Liu, Goddard Space Flight Center. Res., in press, 1993. Reed, R.K., J. D. Schumacher, and A. W. Kendall, Jr., NOAA's Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations in the western Gulf of Alaska, EOS, Trans.