From research to operations based on contributions from Werner Alpers

Early in the development of any field of inquiry, new and interesting phenomena are uncovered and appreciated. These may be of general scientific interest, but is it often many years before these initial observations mature to the point that they can be employed for practical applications. Dr. Werner Alpers is one of those unique individuals whose long productive career spans the evolution from research to operational applications. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, we discuss the contributions of Dr. Alpers in the context of the recent implementation of operational products based on his work and the work of others. These applications are particularly important in the field of remote sensing of the ocean from space by synthetic aperture radar (SAR).