Satellite ocean surface stress measurements applied to air-sea interaction and circulation

The use of satellite radar data to measure and interpret the sea surface drag coefficient over large areas of the ocean is a new and unique approach to a problem that is of continuing interest to the oceanographic and air-sea interaction communities. This approach is based on the conversion of the radar cross section (at 14 GHz) measured by the NASA NSCAT Scatterometer on a 25 km sized resolution cell into an averaged friction velocity, over this area. Whenever a timely buoy measurement of U-10N is obtained within this area, an estimate of the drag coefficient can be made. This study includes analysis of data collected by the NDBC buoys located along the Atlantic and Pacific coastal regions, and by the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoy array in the equatorial Pacific. Differences have been observed among these different regions.