Bathymetry estimation from wave motion with optical imagery: Influence of acquisition parameters

This article presents a thorough testing of the bathymetry estimation method known as Wave Kinematics Bathymetry. WKB is used with nautical radar and spaceborne optical imagery for shallow water zones [1], [2] and is based on the analysis of sea waves using two successive images of the same zone with an interval of only a few seconds. While in certain conditions the method seems to give promising results, a number of parameters during capture such as wind, Sun, and sensor position can reduce its precision considerably. In the article we set out to investigate this dependence of the WKB on external parameters in an empirical way. For this purpose we have developed a sea surface simulator that allows us to reproduce a large number of configurations of Sun and sensor positions, as well as of wave properties. We use our simulator in particular with respect to a set of real Pléiades images taken in Brittany, France, allowing us to pre-determine the subset suitable for bathymetry estimation. Our results can thus be useful from both a time and a cost saving perspective.