Velocity observations of the California Current derived from satellite imagery

This research examines the potential of ocean velocity observations generated from the maximum cross‐correlation technique (MCC) applied to thermal infrared imagery to capture the total current at a high sampling rate, especially in the nearshore region, allowing for a novel view of the California Current. Comparison of 12 years of weekly ocean velocity fields derived from the MCC method with velocity observations from drifting buoys reveals strong correspondence between the data sets. The MCC method, however, is able to produce over ∼10 times the number of observations. Comparison of MCC velocities with geostrophic velocities from altimetry demonstrates differences that suggest ageostrophic currents in the MCC observations that are likely wind driven. The time‐averaged mean velocity field from MCC observations reveals strong offshore jet‐like features that extend off of coastline promontories. Eddy statistics from the MCC velocity observations indicate dramatically different dynamics in the nearshore and offshore regions. Differences in spatial statistics derived from the MCC observations compared to previous studies of the region are attributed to wind‐driven currents in the observations that can dominate the variability of the current in the nearshore region.