Summary

Observation and numerical modeling of sea states remain major challenges for marine prediction (safety of goods and people) as well as for the advancement of knowledge on the coupled ocean / atmosphere system.
For many years the CNRS / LATMOS research team has been developing work in these fields from space or airborne observations. The team is thus actively participating in the preparation of the CFOSAT space mission, for which it has scientific responsibility. This mission, developed in cooperation between France and China and carried out in France by CNES, is dedicated to measuring the wind and the spectrum of waves from space. It will be launched in 2018.
In this context, the LATMOS has developed and developed the KuROS radar that can be embarked on board the ATR42 aircraft operated for the French research community by SAFIRE. The purpose of this website is to provide information about the KuROS instrument and data and to provide access to KuROS campaign data.

The objectives of KuROS are multiple:

1. ) Preparation of the space mission CFOSAT dedicated to global observation of wind and waves by radar
2. ) Study of wind and wave fields, wind / wave and wave / current couplings and validation of wave prediction models
3. ) Upstream work on surface current measurement by radar (support for the preparation of new concepts of satellite measurements)

Since 2013, KuROS has been implemented aboard the ATR 42 several times:
- during the HYMEX campaign in winter 2013 over the Gulf of Lion (Mediterranean) in situations of strong sea states (Mistral and Tramontane),
- during the PROTEVS (SHOM, 2013) campaign in the Iroise Sea in situations of strong vague / current interactions
- during the BBWAVES campaign (IFREMER, 2015), also in the Iroise Sea in situations of strong vague / current interactions.
Depuis 2013, KuROS a été mis en oeuvre à bord de l’ATR 42 à plusieurs reprises:

Radar data and associated treatment methods were validated in 2014 (Caudal et al, 2014).
The next campaigns are scheduled to take place in the fall of 2017 and during the CAL / VAL phase of the CFOSAT satellite (late 2018, early 2019).
The purpose of this site is to provide documentation and datasets of the L1 and L2 level KuROS radar for non-LATMOS partners.
For any use of the data and in view of the still partial maturity of the instrument and the processing lines, exchanges with the referring scientific team will be necessary in order to ensure the proper use of the data