Waves

LOPS produces and contributes to wave databases, derived from satellite measurements and numerical models, from large spatial and temporal scales (30 years across the globe, including the Arctic), to the high resolution with 300m along the coast ...
The WAVEWATCHIII ® digital wave model is distributed by NOAA, its development is led by many institutes in which IFREMER is mainly involved. The model solves the wave action equation in the domain of number and direction of waves. The estimate of the wave energy spectrum is discretized in frequency and direction to reproduce the spatial and temporal evolution of the sea state.
The observations use a large number of space missions using altimetry or synthetic aperture radar techniques, and SWIM radar on CFOSAT.
Many projects and datasets are model and data driven
The production of sea state databases, on different regions of the globe (ERC IOWAGA) as well as on the Atlantic coast (HOMERE, RESOURCECODE)
Wave forecasting (MARC) with the intercomparison of performances between institutes through the LC-WFC program.
In addition, these wave data are used for the calibration of many space missions, MPC Sentinel, CAL/VAL CFOSAT as well as the Sea State CCI project, coordinated by LOPS for the reprocessing of all space missions.

history over time of past, existing and planned missions that measure waves with altimeters and wave resolution measurements (SAR and SWIM wave spectrometer)