An Appraisal of CFOSAT Wave Spectrometer Products in the South China Sea

Abstract

Abstract The China‐France ocean satellite (CFOSAT) has obtained synchronized observations of sea winds and sea waves for the first time in the world, providing accurate data support for the study of swells. In this paper, the accuracy of key parameters and the wave spectrum of CFOSAT surface waves investigation and monitoring (SWIM) L2 data are analyzed and evaluated using a spatial‐temporal matching criterion. The accuracies of the significant wave height (SWH), spectrum peak period (Tp) and dominant azimuth (Azi) are 0.76 m, 2.89 s and −24.02°, respectively, in the coastal area of the South China Sea (SCS) and 0.30 m, 0.97 s and 13.02° in the offshore area of the SCS. Calculated based on CFOSAT SWIM data, the annual average SWH of mixed waves in the SCS is 1.47 m, and 80% of them are between 0.5 and 3 m. There are high value areas in the central, northeastern and southwestern parts of the SCS. The average annual SWH of swells is 0.93 m, and 99% of swells are less than 2 m. A high swell SWH also exists in the central part of the SCS.