Retrieving Spectra of Spatially Inhomogeneous Sea Waves during the Satellite Monitoring of Vast Water Areas

In this paper, the possibilities of recording the spectra of spatially inhomogeneous sea waves using high-spatial-resolution satellite imagery to monitor vast water areas are analyzed. The results of comprehensive experiments to study the method for the prompt retrieval of sea wave spatial spectra from satellite imagery can be used in water areas with mixed waves, including wind waves under the conditions of intense wave fetch and swell waves. Power approximation indices for spatial inhomogeneous wave spectra retrieved using high-spatial-resolution satellite imagery are analyzed depending on the length of the wind fetch over the vast water areas. In the coastal zone, the change in the power approximation indices for sea wave elevation spatial spectra is the largest. With the increase in the distance from the coast, the indices approach the value of p χ ≈ 2.7. In the wind shadow zone at a large distance from the coast, the gradual decrease in the power exponent to p χ ≈ 2.5 is observed, which corresponds to known analytical approximations.