A Method of Estimating Space-Time Spectra from Polar-Orbiting Satellite Data

Abstract Space-time spectral formulas are modified to estimate wavenumber-frequency spectra correctly from space-time series data sampled at the same local time but at different hours of a day by a polar-orbiting satellite. It is shown that a significant error occurs in the wavenumber-frequency spectra of the space-time series for wave periods less than 10 days. This error can be eliminated without time interpolation by taking a space-Fourier transform with respect to the frequency-shifted wavenumbers measured at the same local time.