Sea-wave height measurements in the open ligurian sea compared with wave and sea-salt aerosol forecasts

Wave height measurements in open sea are often collected through remote sensing techniques, such as, among the others, SAR and HF radar systems, due to the difficulty of managing any device with extension in deep waters [1]. On the contrary, several other methods, including wave buoys, pressure and acoustic water level sensors, upward-looking ADCPs, are usually employed to monitor and estimate ocean waves in shallow waters. The paper deals with long term and continuous measurements of wind waves data in deep open sea collected by the W1-M3A observing system [2], moored in the Central Ligurian Sea with a specifically developed acoustic based new prototype. The estimates provided by the system have been compared with Wave Wacht III model forecasts and with Sea Salt Aerosol model outputs achieving a good correlation between in situ measurements and model outputs. © 2012 European Space Agency.