@article{PAR00014176,
  title = {{E}stimating wave orbital velocity through the azimuth cutoff from space-borne satellites},
  author = {{S}topa, {J}. {E}. and {A}rdhuin, {F}abrice and {C}hapron, {B}. and {C}ollard, {F}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{I}t has been long accepted that ocean wave conditions recorded from synthetic aperture radar ({SAR}) aboard satellites resolve large scale swells. {SAR}s make use of its displacement to achieve fine resolution; however the random surface motions can reduce its nominal azimuthal resolution. {A}ccordingly, the {SAR} spectral azimuth response mirrors the probability distribution of the radial velocity component of the scatters. {T}his effect, quantified in a measure called the azimuth cutoff, is estimated by defining a scale based on the fitting of a {G}aussian function to the radar cross section azimuth spectrum. {T}he independent measure provides additional sea state information related to the root mean square surface orbital wave velocity. {W}e use data recorded from the {E}uropean {S}pace {A}gency's {ENVISAT} advanced {SAR} in the {C}-band spanning its lifetime 2003-2012. {O}ur purpose is to first establish the validity of the azimuth cutoff using both colocated buoys and modeled wave data. {S}ome systematic biases are corrected using other {SAR} derived parameters, improving the accuracy of the estimate. {D}espite our efforts, errors exist in the presence of swell, extreme wind waves, and related to the wave direction. {U}nder the majority of the sea states the parameter is well behaved. {A}s a final point, applications using the wave orbital velocities are described in terms of diagnosing a spectral wave model and the wave climate. {A}s illustrated, the returned radar signal provides useful sea state information that resolves wind speeds, wave orbital velocities from the wind waves, and swells.},
  keywords = {},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {G}eophysical {R}esearch : {O}ceans},
  volume = {120},
  numero = {11},
  pages = {7616--7634},
  ISSN = {2169-9275},
  year = {2015},
  DOI = {10.1002/2015jc011275},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/{PAR}00014176},
}