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Global scale measurement of Ocean Bubble Depth with Space Lidar
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  • Damien Benjamin Josset,
  • Stephanie Cayula,
  • Magdalena D. Anguelova,
  • Erick Rogers,
  • David Wang
Damien Benjamin Josset
NRL

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Stephanie Cayula
NRL
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Magdalena D. Anguelova
Naval Research Laboratory
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Erick Rogers
NRL
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David Wang
Naval Research Laboratory
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Abstract

Visible and microwave satellite measurements can provide the global whitecap fraction. The bubble clouds are three-dimensional structures, and a space-based lidar can provide complementary observations of the bubble depth. Here, we use lidar measurements of the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite to quantify global bubble depth from depolarization. The relationship between CALIPSO bubble depth and wind speed from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) and AMSR2 is similar to a recently derived relationship based on buoy measurements. The CALIPSO-based bubble depth data show global distributions and seasonal variations consistent with the high wind speed (> 7 m/s) but with some variance. We also found similarities between the CALIPSO bubble depth and the whitecap fraction from AMSR2 and WindSat. Our findings support using spaceborne lidar measurements to advance the understanding of the 3D bubble properties and ocean physics at high wind speeds.
29 Apr 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
02 May 2024Published in ESS Open Archive