CFOSAT : A step forward for operational oceanography and better understanding of ocean waves climate

The CFOSAT (China-France Oceanography SATellite) satellite mission, a successful cooperation between China and France, launched in 28 October 2018 has revealed the importance of directional observations of waves and winds at the ocean surface. The SWIM wave scatterometer provides a detailed description of wave energy in direction and wavelengths of waves ranged from 50 to 1100 m. This presentation summarize the oustanding acchievements of CFOSAT mission on science and operational applications. The assimilation of such observations into the operational wave model has enabled significant correction of significant wave height bias in ocean regions with high wind uncertainties, such as the Southern Ocean. The integrated wave parameters with exceptional accuracy are provided in the Copernicus marine service. In addition, the sea state corrected by CFOSAT observations improves the estimation of physical coupling processes needed for accounting ocean/wave/atmosphere interactions. Among the remarkable results of using CFOSAT observations, we can highlight the improvement of wind-waves forecast in extreme conditions such as cyclones or hurricanes, and consequently a better initial conditions for swell propagation in the oceans. CFOSAT's directional observations are the only satellite mission that can provide the estimation of Stokes drift and improved surface stress, which play an important role in the upper ocean mixed layer. Other achievements concern the capacity of SWIM instrument to provide probability of sea ice in the Marginal Ice Zone, where uncertainties in heat and momentum fluxes are high. Directional wave observations from CFOSAT also contributed to accurate global wave climate as provided in the wave reanalysis WAVERYS produced by the Copernicus Marine Service.