Final Report Of The European Space Agency Pilot Project

Introduction One of the major drivers of the first European Remote Sensing Satellite ERS-1, launched on 17 July 1991, was applications in wave research and wave forecasting. The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) of ERS-1 provided for the first time detailed spectral information on the ocean surface waves. The SAR Wave Mode (SWM) data were available continuously and in quasi-real time from the global oceans. These spectral wave data opened up exciting new approaches to wave research and applications which reach far beyond the capabilities of the previous wave observation systems. In general, three different investigations are pursued using the ERS-1 wave and wind data. First, the improvement of the ocean wave models, second the assimilation of the remotely sensed data into operational wave forecast models, and third the elaboration of long-term spectral wave climatologies. These investigations are of considerable economic benefit for numerous activities, such as ship routing<F13.