Measurement of oceanic wind vector using satellite microwave radiometers

The possibility of retrieving both wind speed and direction from microwave radiometer measurements of the ocean is studied using Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) measurements collocated with buoy reports from the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). A physically based algorithm is used to retrieve the wind speed. The RMS difference between the SSM/I and buoy wind speed is 1.6 m/s for 3321 comparisons. It is found that the SSM/I minus buoy wind speed difference is correlated with wind direction. When this wind direction signal is removed, the RMS difference between the SSM/I and buoy winds reduces to 1.3 m/s. The wind direction signal is used to make global, low-resolution maps of the monthly mean oceanic vector. The wind direction sensing capability of a prospective two-look satellite radiometer is also processed. >

[1]  Edward C. Monahan,et al.  Optimal Power-Law Description of Oceanic Whitecap Coverage Dependence on Wind Speed , 1980 .

[2]  M. A. Goodberlet,et al.  Remote sensing of ocean surface winds with the special sensor microwave/imager , 1989 .

[3]  F. J. Wentz,et al.  A model function for ocean microwave brightness temperatures , 1983 .

[4]  F. Wentz.  A Simplified Wind Vector Algorithm for Satellite Scatterometers , 1991 .

[5]  F. J. Wentz,et al.  New algorithms for microwave measurements of ocean winds , 1984 .

[6]  J. Mitchell,et al.  Aircraft measurements of the microwave scattering signature of the ocean , 1977, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering.

[7]  D. A. Dunnett.  Classical Electrodynamics , 2020, Nature.

[8]  C. Swift,et al.  An improved model for the dielectric constant of sea water at microwave frequencies , 1977, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering.

[9]  J. Wright,et al.  Microwave scattering and the straining of wind‐generated waves , 1975 .

[10]  A. Fung,et al.  A noncoherent model for microwave emissions and backscattering from the sea surface , 1972 .

[11]  S. Rice.  Reflection of electromagnetic waves from slightly rough surfaces , 1951 .

[12]  R. Reynolds.  A monthly averaged climatology of sea surface temperature , 1982 .

[13]  A. Stogryn,et al.  Equations for Calculating the Dielectric Constant of Saline Water (Correspondence) , 1971 .

[14]  A. Stogryn,et al.  The emissivity of sea foam at microwave frequencies , 1971 .

[15]  W. Munk,et al.  Measurement of the Roughness of the Sea Surface from Photographs of the Sun’s Glitter , 1954 .

[16]  P. Smith.  The emissivity of sea foam at 19 and 37 GHz , 1988 .

[17]  P. Black,et al.  Seasat Scatterometer: Results of the Gulf of Alaska Workshop , 1979, Science.

[18]  S. A. Snyder,et al.  Determination of oceanic total precipitable water from the SSM/I , 1990 .

[19]  Hans J. Liebe,et al.  An updated model for millimeter wave propagation in moist air , 1985 .

[20]  Frank J. Wentz,et al.  A two-scale scattering model for foam-free sea microwave brightness temperatures , 1975 .

[21]  A. Stogryn,et al.  The apparent temperature of the sea at microwave frequencies , 1967 .

[22]  H. Mitsuyasu,et al.  Wind-induced growth of water waves , 1982, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.