Satellite SAR sensing of oceanic dynamics in the Kuril Straits area

The various dynamic oceanic phenomena: fronts, rips, eddies, eddy streets, internal waves, wakes, etc. manifest themselves on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images of the Kuril Straits waters acquired from ERS-1/2, Envisat, RADARSAT-1/2 and other satellites. Their appearance is due to the sea surface roughness modulation caused by the variable surface currents and redistribution of the surface films. They, in turn, result mainly from interaction of tidal currents with the rough bottom topography, islands and headlands. The mesoscale and submesoscale features such as tidal fronts in the strait areas, eddies of 1-10 km in size, internal wave trains as well as intrusion of the Pacific waters into the Okhotsk Sea were identified. Typical spatial patterns of water dynamics in the Kuril Straits area and new fine details of the surface water structure are discussed.