Ray Richard D.

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Ray
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Richard D.
ORCID
0000-0003-2644-9271

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  • Article
    On the development of SWOT in situ calibration/validation for short-wavelength ocean topography
    (American Meteorological Society, 2022-05-01) Wang, Jinbo ; Fu, Lee-Lueng ; Haines, Bruce ; Lankhorst, Matthias ; Lucas, Andrew J. ; Farrar, J. Thomas ; Send, Uwe ; Meinig, Christian ; Schofield, Oscar M. E. ; Ray, Richard D.
    The future Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission aims to map sea surface height (SSH) in wide swaths with an unprecedented spatial resolution and subcentimeter accuracy. The instrument performance needs to be verified using independent measurements in a process known as calibration and validation (Cal/Val). The SWOT Cal/Val needs in situ measurements that can make synoptic observations of SSH field over an O(100) km distance with an accuracy matching the SWOT requirements specified in terms of the along-track wavenumber spectrum of SSH error. No existing in situ observing system has been demonstrated to meet this challenge. A field campaign was conducted during September 2019–January 2020 to assess the potential of various instruments and platforms to meet the SWOT Cal/Val requirement. These instruments include two GPS buoys, two bottom pressure recorders (BPR), three moorings with fixed conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) and CTD profilers, and a glider. The observations demonstrated that 1) the SSH (hydrostatic) equation can be closed with 1–3 cm RMS residual using BPR, CTD mooring and GPS SSH, and 2) using the upper-ocean steric height derived from CTD moorings enable subcentimeter accuracy in the California Current region during the 2019/20 winter. Given that the three moorings are separated at 10–20–30 km distance, the observations provide valuable information about the small-scale SSH variability associated with the ocean circulation at frequencies ranging from hourly to monthly in the region. The combined analysis sheds light on the design of the SWOT mission postlaunch Cal/Val field campaign.
  • Article
    Understanding of contemporary regional sea-level change and the implications for the future
    (American Geophysical Union, 2020-04-17) Hamlington, Benjamin D. ; Gardner, Alex S. ; Ivins, Erik ; Lenaerts, Jan T. M. ; Reager, John T. ; Trossman, David S. ; Zaron, Edward D. ; Adhikari, Surendra ; Arendt, Anthony ; Aschwanden, Andy ; Beckley, Brian D. ; Bekaert, David P. S. ; Blewitt, Geoffrey ; Caron, Lambert ; Chambers, Don P. ; Chandanpurkar, Hrishikesh A. ; Christianson, Knut ; Csatho, Beata ; Cullather, Richard I. ; DeConto, Robert M. ; Fasullo, John T. ; Frederikse, Thomas ; Freymueller, Jeffrey T. ; Gilford, Daniel M. ; Girotto, Manuela ; Hammond, William C. ; Hock, Regine ; Holschuh, Nicholas ; Kopp, Robert E. ; Landerer, Felix ; Larour, Eric ; Menemenlis, Dimitris ; Merrifield, Mark ; Mitrovica, Jerry X. ; Nerem, R. Steven ; Nias, Isabel J. ; Nieves, Veronica ; Nowicki, Sophie ; Pangaluru, Kishore ; Piecuch, Christopher G. ; Ray, Richard D. ; Rounce, David R. ; Schlegel, Nicole‐Jeanne ; Seroussi, Helene ; Shirzaei, Manoochehr ; Sweet, William V. ; Velicogna, Isabella ; Vinogradova, Nadya ; Wahl, Thomas ; Wiese, David N. ; Willis, Michael J.
    Global sea level provides an important indicator of the state of the warming climate, but changes in regional sea level are most relevant for coastal communities around the world. With improvements to the sea‐level observing system, the knowledge of regional sea‐level change has advanced dramatically in recent years. Satellite measurements coupled with in situ observations have allowed for comprehensive study and improved understanding of the diverse set of drivers that lead to variations in sea level in space and time. Despite the advances, gaps in the understanding of contemporary sea‐level change remain and inhibit the ability to predict how the relevant processes may lead to future change. These gaps arise in part due to the complexity of the linkages between the drivers of sea‐level change. Here we review the individual processes which lead to sea‐level change and then describe how they combine and vary regionally. The intent of the paper is to provide an overview of the current state of understanding of the processes that cause regional sea‐level change and to identify and discuss limitations and uncertainty in our understanding of these processes. Areas where the lack of understanding or gaps in knowledge inhibit the ability to provide the needed information for comprehensive planning efforts are of particular focus. Finally, a goal of this paper is to highlight the role of the expanded sea‐level observation network—particularly as related to satellite observations—in the improved scientific understanding of the contributors to regional sea‐level change.