Investigating the protective role of the barrier reef and the energy transmitted from the open sea to the Raroia lagoon under rough sea conditions.
The study of waves transmitted in the lagoon during strong offshore swells highlights large-scale resonant modes (seiches type) whose impact on erosion and submersions is well established. Understanding these modes in a context of rising oceans is therefore a major challenge.
The MAEVA-SWOT campaign will investigate the large-scale slow modes in the lagoons using the SWOT KaRin instrument combined with in situ measurements. These modes are measurable by pressure gauges which will be deployed in the lagoon.
The atoll of Raroia (16°01′S-142°26′O) is located on the SWOT one-day orbit. This atoll is of very regular shape, ideal for the study of eigen modes. Its dimensions of 30 km by 10 km provides a well-suited surface for the SWOT study of large-scale modes. The instrumentation of the Raroia lagoon took place at the end of February 2023.
Principal investigators: Emmanuel Dormy (DMA-ENS), Ludivine Oruba (LATMOS-Sorbonne Univerisité), Serge Planes (CRIOBE-EPHE).
Contact point for the study site: Emmanuel Dormy (Emmanuel.Dormy@ens.fr).