The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Doppler centroid has been used to estimate the scatter line-of-sight radar velocity. In weak to moderate ocean surface current environment, the SAR Doppler centroid is dominated by the directionality and strength of wave-induced ocean surface displacements. In this paper, we show how this sea state signature can be used to improve surface wind retrieval from SAR. Doppler shifts of C-band radar return signals from the ocean are thoroughly investigated by colocating wind measurements from the ASCAT scatterometer with Doppler centroid anomalies retrieved from Envisat ASAR. An empirical geophysical model function (CDOP) is derived, predicting Doppler shifts at both VV and HH polarization as function of wind speed, radar incidence angle, and wind direction with respect to radar look direction. This function is used into a Bayesian inversion scheme in combination with wind from a priori forecast model and the normalized radar cross section (NRCS). The benefit of Doppler for SAR wind retrieval is shown in complex meteorological situations such as atmospheric fronts or low pressure systems. Using in situ information, validation reveals that this method helps to improve the wind direction retrieval. Uncertainty of the calibration of Doppler shift from Envisat ASAR hampers the inversion scheme in cases where NRCS and model wind are accurate and in close agreement. The method is however very promising with respect of future SAR missions, in particular Sentinel-1, where the Doppler centroid anomaly will be more robustly retrieved.Index Terms-Doppler, surface wind, synthetic aperture radar (SAR).

[1] Previous analysis of Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) signals collected by ESA's Envisat has demonstrated a very valuable source of high-resolution information, namely, the line-of-sight velocity of the moving ocean surface. This velocity is estimated from a Doppler frequency shift, consistently extracted within the ASAR scenes. The Doppler shift results from the combined action of near surface wind on shorter waves, longer wave motion, wave breaking and surface current. Both kinematic and dynamic properties of the moving ocean surface roughness can therefore be derived from the ASAR observations. The observations are compared to simulations using a radar imaging model extended to

Accurate solar irradiance data are not only of particular importance for the assessment of the radiative forcing of the climate system, but also absolutely necessary for efficient planning and operation of solar energy systems. Within the European project Heliosat-3, a new type of solar irradiance scheme is developed. This new type will be based on radiative transfer models (RTM) using atmospheric parameter information retrieved from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite (clouds, ozone, water vapour) and the ERS-2/ENVISAT satellites (aerosols, ozone).This paper focuses on the description of the clear-sky module of the new scheme, especially on the integrated use of a radiative transfer model. The linkage of the clear-sky module with the cloud module is also briefly described in order to point out the benefits of the integrated RTM use for the all-sky situations. The integrated use of an RTM within the new Solar Irradiance Scheme SOLIS is applied by introducing a new fitting function called the modified Lambert -Beer (MLB) relation. Consequently, the modified Lambert -Beer relation and its role for an integrated RTM use are discussed. Comparisons of the calculated clear-sky irradiances with ground-based measurements and the current clear-sky module demonstrate the advantages and benefits of SOLIS. Since SOLIS can provide spectrally resolved irradiance data, it can be used for different applications. Beside improved information for the planning of solar energy systems, the calculation of photosynthetic active radiation, UV index, and illuminance is possible. D

Abstract. OpenDrift is an open-source Python-based framework for Lagrangian particle modelling under development at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute with contributions from the wider scientific community. The framework is highly generic and modular, and is designed to be used for any type of drift calculations in the ocean or atmosphere. A specific module within the OpenDrift framework corresponds to a Lagrangian particle model in the traditional sense. A number of modules have already been developed, including an oil drift module, a stochastic search-and-rescue module, a pelagic egg module, and a basic module for atmospheric drift. The framework allows for the ingestion of an unspecified number of forcing fields (scalar and vectorial) from various sources, including Eulerian ocean, atmosphere and wave models, but also measurements or a priori values for the same variables. A basic backtracking mechanism is inherent, using sign reversal of the total displacement vector and negative time stepping. OpenDrift is fast and simple to set up and use on Linux, Mac and Windows environments, and can be used with minimal or no Python experience. It is designed for flexibility, and researchers may easily adapt or write modules for their specific purpose. OpenDrift is also designed for performance, and simulations with millions of particles may be performed on a laptop. Further, OpenDrift is designed for robustness and is in daily operational use for emergency preparedness modelling (oil drift, search and rescue, and drifting ships) at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

Transport characteristics of oil slicks are reported from a controlled release experiment conducted in the North Sea in June 2015, during which mineral oil emulsions of different volumetric oil fractions and a look‐alike biogenic oil were released and allowed to develop naturally. The experiment used the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) to track slick location, size, and shape for ∼8 h following release. Wind conditions during the exercise were at the high end of the range considered suitable for radar‐based slick detection, but the slicks were easily detectable in all images acquired by the low noise, L‐band imaging radar. The measurements are used to constrain the entrainment length and representative droplet radii for oil elements in simulations generated using the OpenOil advanced oil drift model. Simultaneously released drifters provide near‐surface current estimates for the single biogenic release and one emulsion release, and are used to test model sensitivity to upper ocean currents and mixing. Results of the modeling reveal a distinct difference between the transport of the biogenic oil and the mineral oil emulsion, in particular in the vertical direction, with faster and deeper entrainment of significantly smaller droplets of the biogenic oil. The difference in depth profiles for the two types of oils is substantial, with most of the biogenic oil residing below depths of 10 m, compared to the majority of the emulsion remaining above 10 m depth. This difference was key to fitting the observed evolution of the two different types of slicks.

Abstract. Vertical and horizontal transport mechanisms for marine oil spills are investigated using numerical model simulations. To realistically resolve the 3-D development of a spill on the ocean surface and in the water column, recently published parameterizations for the vertical mixing of oil spills are implemented in the open-source trajectory framework OpenDrift (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1300358, last access: 7 April 2018). The parameterizations include the wave entrainment of oil, two alternative formulations for the droplet size spectra, and turbulent mixing. The performance of the integrated oil spill model is evaluated by comparing model simulations with airborne observations of an oil slick. The results show that an accurate description of a chain of physical processes, in particular vertical mixing and oil weathering, is needed to represent the horizontal spreading of the oil spill. Using ensembles of simulations of hypothetic oil spills, the general drift behavior of an oil spill during the first 10 days after initial spillage is evaluated in relation to how vertical processes control the horizontal transport. Transport of oil between the surface slick and the water column is identified as a crucial component affecting the horizontal transport of oil spills. The vertical processes are shown to control differences in the drift of various types of oil and in various weather conditions.

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A radar imaging model including a Doppler shift module is presented for quantitative studies of radar observations of wave-current interaction in a strong tidal current regime. The model partitions the Doppler shift into the relative contribution arising from the motion of the backscattering facets including Bragg waves, specular points, and breaking waves that are advected by and interact with the underlying surface current. Simulated and observed normalized radar cross sections and Doppler shifts for different environmental conditions and radar parameters are compared and discussed.Statistical properties of the sea surface result from a solution of the energy balance equation 9 (e.g. Hughes (1978); Thompson (1988); Lyzenga and Bennett (1988)) where wind forcing, 10 viscous and wave breaking dissipation, wave-wave interactions, and generation of shorter 11 waves by breaking waves of longer scales are accounted for. The latter mechanism is described 12 by Kudryavtsev and Johannessen (2004), and although it does not significantly alter the 13 background spectrum, it plays a crucial role in the context of wave modulations by surface 14 current (Kudryavtsev et al., 2005). The RIM thus consists of a particular decomposition 15 of the sea surface into a regular wavy surface and a number of breaking zones. Radar 16 scattering from the regular surface is described within the frame of the composite model 17 combining specular reflection and resonant (Bragg) scattering waves with local tilting effects 18 due to longer underlying waves (e.g. Plant (1986); Donelan and Pierson (1987); Romeiser 19 et al. (1994); Romeiser and Alpers (1997)). The contribution from breaking waves can 20 be described as specular reflections from very rough wave breaking patterns and is taken 21 proportional to the fraction of the sea surface covered by breaking zones based on wave 22 breaking statistics proposed by Phillips (1985). 23 Using Envisat Advanced SAR (ASAR) observations, Chapron et al. (2005) demonstrated 24 the capability to use the Doppler centroid information embedded in the radar signal to 25 map surface velocity, including wind-generated waves and current, from SAR images. The 26 difference between a predicted Doppler shift based on precise knowledge of the satellite 27 orbit and attitude, and the Doppler centroid frequency estimate in this case represents the 28 geophysical Doppler shift experienced from the moving ocean surface. This geophysical 29 Doppler shift in turn reflects the line-of-sight velocity of the scatterers, weighted by their 30 contribution to the backscattered power (Romeiser and Thompson, 2000). The retrieval and 31 subsequent error correction of the geophysical Doppler shift from the ASAR Wide Swath 32 Medium resolution image (WSM) product is presented in Hansen et al. (2011a) where the 33 accuracy of the geophysical Doppler shift is found to be about 5 Hz. This corresponds to 34 a horizontal surface velocity of 20 cm/s at an incidence angle of 40 • , and 40 cm/s at an 35 incidence angle of 20 • . As such,...