Numerical wave models are used for a wide range of applications, from the global ocean to coastal scales. Here we report on significant improvements compared to the previous hindcast by Rascle and Ardhuin (2013). This result was obtained by updating forcing fields, adjusting the spectral discretization and retuning wind wave growth and swell dissipation parameters. Most of the performance analysis is done using significant wave heights (Hs) from the recent re-calibrated and denoised satellite altimeter data set provided by the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (ESA-CCI), with additional verification using spectral buoy data. We find that, for the year 2011, using wind fields from the recent ERA5 reanalysis provides lower scatter against satellite H s data compared to historical ECMWF operational analyses, but still yields a low bias on wave heights that can be mitigated by re-scaling wind speeds larger than 20 m/s. Alternative blended wind products can provide more accurate forcing in some regions, but were not retained because of larger errors elsewhere. We use the shape of the probability density function of H s around 2 m to fine tune the swell dissipation parameterization. The updated model hindcast appears to be generally more accurate than the previous version, and can be more accurate than the ERA5 H s estimates, in particular in strong current regions and for Hs greater than 7 m.

The Total Surface Current Velocity (TSCV) - the horizontal vector quantity that advects seawater - is an Essential Climate Variable, with few observations available today. The TSCV can be derived from the phase speed of surface gravity waves, and the estimates of the phase speeds of different wavelengths could give a measure of the vertical shear. Here we combine 10-m resolution Level-1C of the Sentinel 2 Multispectral Instrument, acquired with time lags up to 1s, and numerical simulation of these images. Retrieving the near surface shear requires a specific attention to waves in opposing direction when estimating a single phase speed from the phase difference in an image pair. Opposing waves lead to errors in phase speeds that are most frequent for shorter wavelengths. We propose an alternative method using a least-square fit of the current speed and amplitudes of waves in opposing directions to the observed complex amplitudes of a sequence of 3 images. When applied to Sentinel 2, this method generally provides more moisy estimate of the current. A byproduct of this analysis is the “opposition spectrum” that is a key quantity in the sources of microseisms and microbaroms. For future possible sensors, the retrieval of TSCV and shear can benefit from increased time lags, resolution and exposure time of acquisition. These findings should allow new investigations of near-surface ocean processes including regions of freshwater influence or internal waves, using existing satellite missions such as Sentinel 2, and provide a basis for the design of future optical instruments.