NO JAVASCRIPT

This website requires JavaScript to function properly / Ce site a besoin de JavaScript pour fonctionner correctement

Aviso+
News
Image of the month
2017
Jan. 2017: Wave model with ice

Wave model with ice

Image of the Month - January 2017

Wave model errors depending on whether you take icebergs into account (bottom) or not (top). Taking icebergs into account to compute waves enables to lower the model error in the Southern Ocean (Credits Ifremer)

Mean monthy ice volume distribution (1992-2014) as computed from altimetry (Credits Ifremer)

The Southern ocean high waves are almost a cliché. Even if the highest waves may not be detected there (but rather in the North Atlantic), this Ocean has often very rough sea states. One of its other pecularities is the presence of icebergs, threatening navigation too. Since there's few in situ measurements in the region, satellite observation and modelling are of a particular importance there.

Wave models, which modelize wave heights and directions, did not take into account icebergs at first. But when iceberg distribution maps (from altimetry) were released, biases in wave models and iceberg distributions looked strangely alike... Investigations showed that icebergs are dampening waves, in fact. So, if you don't take them into account, you modelize waves even higher than the actual ones in the iceberg areas.
Altimetry can help for both subjects - significant wave height measurements and iceberg detection. With the CFOSat mission (CNSA/Cnes), a dedicated wave-measurement instrument similar to altimeters will be launched (planned 2018).

Other website on this subject:

the database used to produce the iceberg plot is available throught Ifremer's Cersat center, at ftp://ftp.ifremer.fr/ifremer/cersat/products/gridded/altiberg/

News

Search.
Front-page news.
Image of the month .
- 2025 .
- 2024 .
- 2023 .
- 2022 .
- 2021 .
- 2020 .
- 2019 .
- 2018 .
- 2017 .
  - Dec. 2017: Sea Level Rise impacts on Miami.
  - Nov. 2017: Tracking water bodies.
  - Oct. 2017: Plate tectonics.
  - Sep. 2017: 25 years, and many more to come.
  - Aug. 2017: Waves & currents.
  - Jul. 2017: Higher resolution knowledge of flooded areas over the whole Earth.
  - Jun. 2017: Eddies everywhere.
  - May 2017: Ocean mirrors the deep.
  - Apr. 2017: How El Niño and related sea level fall impacted indonesian corals.
  - Mar. 2017: Satellites see the highs and lows of the biggest lake in China.
  - Feb. 2017: Tidal currents make a buoy's path spiral.
  - Jan. 2017: Wave model with ice.
- 2016 .
- 2015 .
- 2014 .
- 2013 .
- 2012 .
- 2011 .
- 2010 .
- 2009 .
- 2008 .
- 2007 .
- 2006 .
- 2005 .
- 2004 .
- 2003 .
- 2002 .
- 2001 .
- 2000 .
- 1999 .
- 1998 .
Press review.
Operational news and status .
News from CTOH .
Events calendar.

Customizable homepage

This home page is composed of blocks called "widgets".

Rearrange the blocks with a "Click & Drop".

Hide a widget with the cross at the top right. Reset or add a widget with the "wrench" icon. The "User" and "Public" profiles offer a predefined organization.

All the modifications are automatically saved as cookies on your machine so as to enable you to have your own specific AVISO+.

Browsing menu and breadcrum trail

To ease your browsing through AVISO+, you can use at any time the main banner items with the interactive submenus or use the browsing menu on the left side of the screen (it is open by default). For more readiness of the page contents, you can fold and unfold the browsing menu by clicking on the tab. At any time you can know where you are thanks to the browsing menu or the breadcrum at the top of the page.