Automated Global Classification of Surface Layer Stratification Using High-Resolution Sea Surface Roughness Measurements by Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar

A three-state global estimator of marine surface layer atmospheric stratification is demonstrated using more than 600,000 Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar wave mode images at incidence angle approximate to 36.8 degrees. Stratification is quantified using a bulk Richardson number, Ri, derived from collocated ERA5 surface analyses. The three stratification states are defined as unstable: Ri < -0.012, near-neutral: -0.012 Ri < +0.001, and stable: Ri > +0.001. These boundaries are identified by the characteristic boundary layer coherent structures that form in these regimes and modulate the surface roughness imaged by the radar. An automated machine learning algorithm identifies the coherent structures impressed on the images. Data from 2016 to 2019 are used to examine spatial and temporal variation in these state estimates in terms of expected wind and thermal forcing. This new satellite-based approach for detecting air-sea stratification has implications for weather modeling and air-sea flux products.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates a three-state global estimator of marine surface layer atmospheric stratification using satellite imagery. The analysis examines spatial and temporal variation in these stratification states and their relationship with wind and thermal forcing. This new approach has implications for weather modeling and air-sea flux products.