Ocean Waves in the South Pacific: Complementarity of SWIM and SAR Observations

This study focuses on ocean waves impacting the Moorea Island in French Polynesia, where coral reefs play an essential role biodiversity and protection of habitations. We investigate how innovative Surface Waves Investigation Monitoring (SWIM) instrument Chinese-French Oceanography SATellite satellite enables to document a multi-annual basis, spectral properties reaching coasts Island. Our analysis is based comparisons with situ measurements (wave gauges deployed outer slope reef), other observations (altimeter, Synthetic Aperture Radar [SAR]). Accounting for local masking effects, we show that SWIM provides relevant information short swell or wind waves, which missed by SAR observations, particular high sea-state conditions, owing dominant propagation direction being close azimuth. We, nevertheless, also find wave low conditions are better documented than SWIM. Such results important accurately measure predict fragilize evaluate impact extreme events tropical islands reefs.