Browsing by Author "Palmsten, M. L."

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    Sea state from single optical images: A methodology to derive wind-generated ocean waves from cameras, drones and satellites
    (2021) Almar, R.; Bergsma, E. W. J.; Catalán, P. A.; Cienfuegos Carrasco, Rodrigo Alberto; Suárez Atias, Leandro; Lucero, F.; Lerma, A. N.; Desmazes, F.; Perugini, E.; Palmsten, M. L.; Chickadel, C.
    Sea state is a key variable in ocean and coastal dynamics. The sea state is either sparsely measured by wave buoys and satellites or modelled over large scales. Only a few attempts have been devoted to sea state measurements covering a large domain; in particular its estimation from optical images. With optical technologies becoming omnipresent, optical images offer incomparable spatial resolution from diverse sensors such as shore-based cameras, airborne drones (unmanned aerial vehicles/UAVs), or satellites. Here, we present a standalone methodology to derive the water surface elevation anomaly induced by wind-generated ocean waves from optical imagery. The methodology was tested on drone and satellite images and compared against ground truth. The results show a clear dependence on the relative azimuth view angle in relation to the wave crest. A simple correction is proposed to overcome this bias. Overall, the presented methodology offers a practical way of estimating ocean waves for a wide range of applications.