• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.282-297
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• 2019

Detection of mesoscale oceanic eddies using satellite data can utilize various ocean parameters such as sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a pigment concentration in phytoplankton, and sea level altimetry measurements. Observation methods vary for each satellite dataset, as it is obtained using different temporal and spatial resolution, and optimized data processing. Different detection results can be derived for the same oceanic eddies; therefore, fundamental research on eddy detection using satellite data is required. In this study, we used ocean color satellite data, sea level altimetry data, and infrared SST data to detect mesoscale eddies in the East Sea and compared results from different detection methods. The sea surface current field derived from the consecutive ocean color chlorophyll-a concentration images using the maximum cross correlation coefficient and the geostrophic current field obtained from the sea level altimetry data were used to detect the mesoscale eddies in the East Sea. In order to compare the eddy detection from satellite data, the results were divided into three cases as follows: 1) the eddy was detected in both the ocean color and altimeter images simultaneously; 2) the eddy was detected from ocean color and SST images, but no eddy was detected in the altimeter data; 3) the eddy was not detected in ocean color image, while the altimeter data detected the eddy. Through these three cases, we described the difficulties with satellite altimetry data and the limitations of ocean color and infrared SST data for eddy detection. It was also emphasized that study on eddy detection and related research required an in-depth understanding of the mesoscale oceanic phenomenon and the principles of satellite observation.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.135-147
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• 2023

Satellite-observed significant wave heights (SWHs), which are widely used to understand the response of the ocean to climate change, require long-term and continuous validation. This study examines the accuracy and error characteristics of SWH observed by nine satellite altimeters in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean for 25 years (1992-2016). A total of 137,929 matchups were generated to compare altimeter-observed SWH and in-situ measurements. The altimeter SWH showed a bias of 0.03 m and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.27 m, indicating relatively high accuracy in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean. However, the spatial distribution of altimeter SWH errors showed notable differences. To better understand the error characteristics of altimeter-observed SWH, errors were analyzed with respect to in-situ SWH, time, latitude, and distance from the coast. Overestimation of SWH was observed in most satellite altimeters when in-situ SWH was low, while underestimation was observed when in-situ SWH was high. The errors of altimeter-observed SWH varied seasonally, with an increase during winter and a decrease during summer, and the variability of errors increased at higher latitudes. The RMSEs showed high accuracy of less than 0.3 m in the open ocean more than 100 km from the coast, while errors significantly increased to more than 0.5 m in coastal regions less than 15 km. These findings underscore the need for caution when analyzing the spatio-temporal variability of SWH in the global and regional oceans using satellite altimeter data.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.141-148
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• 2003

We investigated the distribution of sea ice using various microwave remote sensing techniques including radar altimeter, radiometer, and scatterometer data in the part of Drake passage, Antarctica, between the area 45$^{\circ}$-75$^{\circ}$W and 55$^{\circ}$-66$^{\circ}$S. Topex/poseidon radar altimeter data were used to analyze the monthly distribution of sea ice surface area between 1992 and 1999 by using Geo_bad_1 flag or MGDR. From satellite radiometer measurements of DMSP's SSM/I, sea ice concentration was extracted during the period from 1993 to 1996. To select a value of ice concentration, normally ranging from 0 to 100%, that can be used as a critical value of judging the existence for ice, sea ice areas estimated from various ice concentrations of radiometer measurements were correlated with the area estimated from the radar altimeter measurements. As a result, 20% of ice concentration was selected, and, then this value was used to integrate radiometer data with radar altimeter and ERS-1/2 scatterometer data. To indirectly verify the result, the last 20 year's sea ice concentration was correlated with surface temperature data near Esper-anza Observation Station. The two data showed a high correlation coefficient of 0.86. The amount of sea ice and temperature variation were found to be closely related in the study area, and this indirectly verifies the result of this study. We provided a method to judge the existence of sea ice from ice concentration of satellite radiometer data and suggested a method to monitor more detailed temporal and spatial variation of sea ice distribution by integra-tion of various microwave remote sensing techniques.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.5_1
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• pp.467-479
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• 2023

Satellite altimeters have continuously observed sea surface height (SSH) in the global ocean for the past 30 years, providing clear evidence of the rise in global mean sea level based on observational data. Accurate altimeter-observed SSH is essential to study the spatial and temporal variability of SSH in regional seas. In this study, we used measurements from the Ieodo Ocean Research Station (IORS) and validate SSHs observed by satellite altimeters (Envisat, Jason-1, Jason-2, SARAL, Jason-3, and Sentinel-3A/B). Bias and root mean square error of SSH for each satellite ranged from 1.58 to 4.69 cm and 6.33 to 9.67 cm, respectively. As the matchup distance between satellite ground tracks and the IORS increased, the error of satellite SSHs significantly amplified. In order to validate the correction of the tide and atmospheric effect of the satellite data, the tide was estimated using harmonic analysis, and inverse barometer effect was calculated using atmospheric pressure data at the IORS. To achieve accurate tidal corrections for satellite SSH data in the seas around the Korean Peninsula, it was confirmed that improving the accuracy of tide data used in satellites is necessary.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.139-153
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• 2018

The sea surface wind field has long been obtained from satellite scatterometers or passive microwave radiometers. However, the importance of satellite altimeter-derived wind speed has seldom been addressed because of the outstanding capability of the scatterometers. Satellite altimeter requires the accurate wind speed data, measured simultaneously with sea surface height observations, to enhance the accuracy of sea surface height through the correction of sea state bias. This study validates the wind speeds from the satellite altimeters (GFO, Jason-1, Envisat, Jason-2, Cryosat-2, SARAL) and analyzes characteristics of errors. In total, 1504 matchup points were produced using the wind speed data of Ieodo Ocean Research Station (IORS) and of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) buoys at Marado and Oeyeondo stations for 10 years from December 2007 to May 2016. The altimeter wind speed showed a root mean square error (RMSE) of about $1.59m\;s^{-1}$ and a negative bias of $-0.35m\;s^{-1}$ with respect to the in-situ wind speed. Altimeter wind speeds showed characteristic biases that they were higher (lower) than in-situ wind speeds at low (high) wind speed ranges. Some tendency was found that the difference between the maximum and minimum value gradually increased with distance from the buoy stations. For the improvement of the accuracy of altimeter wind speed, an equation for correction was derived based on the characteristics of errors. In addition, the significance of altimeter wind speed on the estimation of sea surface height was addressed by presenting the effect of the corrected wind speeds on the sea state bias values of Jason-1.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.524-535
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• 2021

Rapid climate change and oceanic warming have increased the variability of oceanic wave heights over the past several decades. In addition, the extreme wave heights, such as the upper 1% (or 5%) wave heights, have increased more than the heights of the normal waves. This is true for waves both in global oceans as well as in local seas. Satellite altimeters have consistently observed significant wave heights (SWHs) since 1991, and sufficient SWH data have been accumulated to investigate 100-year return period SWH values based on statistical approaches. Satellite altimeter data were used to estimate the extreme SWHs at the Ieodo Ocean Research Station (IORS) for the period from 2005 to 2016. Two representative extreme value analysis (EVA) methods, the Initial Distribution Method (IDM) and Peak over Threshold (PoT) analysis, were applied for SWH measurements from satellite altimeter data and compared with the in situ measurements observed at the IORS. The 100-year return period SWH values estimated by IDM and PoT analysis using IORS measurements were 8.17 and 14.11 m, respectively, and those using satellite altimeter data were 9.21 and 16.49 m, respectively. When compared with the maximum value, the IDM method tended to underestimate the extreme SWH. This result suggests that the extreme SWHs could be reasonably estimated by the PoT method better than by the IDM method. The superiority of the PoT method was supported by the results of the in situ measurements at the IORS, which is affected by typhoons with extreme SWH events. It was also confirmed that the stability of the extreme SWH estimated using the PoT method may decline with a decrease in the quantity of the altimeter data used. Furthermore, this study discusses potential limitations in estimating extreme SWHs using satellite altimeter data, and emphasizes the importance of SWH measurements from the IORS as reference data in the East China Sea to verify satellite altimeter data.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.225-242
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• 2012

This is the first attempt to produce simultaneous surface current field from satellite altimeter data for the entire East Sea and to provide surface current information to users with formal description. It is possible to estimate surface geostrophic current field in near real-time because satellite altimeters and coastal tide gauges supply sea level data for the whole East Sea. Strength and location of the major currents and meso-scale eddies can be identified from the estimated surface geostrophic current field. The mean locations of major surface currents were explicated relative to topographic, ocean-surface and undersea features with schematic representation of surface circulation. In order to demonstrate the practical use of this surface current information, exemplary descriptions of annual, seasonal and monthly mean surface geostrophic current distributions were presented. In order to objectively classify surface circulation patterns in the East Sea, empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was performed on the estimated 16-year (1993-2008) surface current data. The first mode was associated with intensification or weakening of the East Korea Warm Current (EKWC) flowing northward along the east coast of Korea and of the anti-cyclonic circulation southwest of Yamato Basin. The second mode was associated with meandering paths of the EKWC in the southern East Sea with wavelength of 300 km. The first and second modes had inter-annual variations. The East Sea surface circulation was classified as inertial boundary current pattern, Tsushima Warm Current pattern, meandering pattern, and Offshore Branch pattern by the time coefficient of the first two EOF modes.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.195-204
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• 2009

In order to estimate sea surface current fields in the East Sea, we examined characteristics of mean dynamic topography (MDT) fields (or mean surface current field, MSC) generated from three different methods. This preliminary investigation evaluates the accuracy of surface currents estimated from satellite-derived sea level anomaly (SLA) data and three MDT fields in the East Sea. AVISO (Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic data) provides a MDT field derived from satellite observation and numerical models with $0.25^{\circ}$ horizontal resolution. Steric height field relative to 500 dbar from temperature and salinity profiles in the East Sea supplies another MDT field. Trajectory data of surface drifters (ARGOS) in the East Sea for 14 years provide another MSC field. Absolute dynamic topography (ADT) field is calculated by adding SLA to each MDT. Application of geostrophic equation to three different ADT fields yields three surface geostrophic current fields. Comparisons were made between the estimated surface currents from the three different methods and in-situ current measurements from a ship-mounted ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) in the southwestern East Sea in 2005. For offshore areas more than 50 km away from the land, the correlation coefficients (R) between the estimated versus the measured currents range from 0.58 to 0.73, with 17.1 to $21.7\;cm\;s^{-1}$ root mean square deviation (RMSD). For coastal ocean within 50 km from the land, however, R ranges from 0.06 to 0.46 and RMSD ranges from 15.5 to $28.0\;cm\;s^{-1}$. Results from this study reveal that a new approach in producing MDT and SLA is required to improve the accuracy of surface current estimations for the shallow costal zones of the East Sea.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.383-391
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• 1994

Sea surface height geoidal undulation, and gravity anomaly derived from satellite altimeter measurements are described. Assuming mean sea surface height (MSSH) as geoidal undulation, MSSH was converted to gravity anomaly. the result shows that the gravity anomaly derived from satellite altimeter data can be mapped to an accuracy of the surface ship gravity measurements. The data used for the conversion is the two-year mean sea surface height obtained from GEOSAT Exact Repeat Mission. The conversion was carried out using fast Fourier transform with plane approximation. In this process, the so called remove-restore method was employed.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.145-146
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• 2011