Off-Nadir SFMR Brightness Temperature Measurements in High-Wind Conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 1865-1879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather M. Holbach ◽  
Eric W. Uhlhorn ◽  
Mark A. Bourassa
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Brightness Temperature ◽  
Wind Direction ◽  
Wave Breaking ◽  
Surface Brightness ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Temperature Measurements ◽  
High Wind ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractWind and wave-breaking directions are investigated as potential sources of an asymmetry identified in off-nadir remotely sensed measurements of ocean surface brightness temperatures obtained by the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) in high-wind conditions, including in tropical cyclones. Surface wind speed, which dynamically couples the atmosphere and ocean, can be inferred from SFMR ocean surface brightness temperature measurements using a radiative transfer model and an inversion algorithm. The accuracy of the ocean surface brightness temperature to wind speed calibration relies on accurate knowledge of the surface variables that are influencing the ocean surface brightness temperature. Previous studies have identified wind direction signals in horizontally polarized radiometer measurements in low to moderate (0–20 m s−1) wind conditions over a wide range of incidence angles. This study finds that the azimuthal asymmetry in the off-nadir SFMR brightness temperature measurements is also likely a function of wind direction and extends the results of these previous studies to high-wind conditions. The off-nadir measurements from the SFMR provide critical data for improving the understanding of the relationships between brightness temperature, surface wave–breaking direction, and surface wind vectors at various incidence angles, which is extremely useful for the development of geophysical model functions for instruments like the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD).

On the momentum-, heat-, and moisture-exchange on the ocean surface under strong wind conditions.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Savenkova ◽  
Vladimir Kudryavtsev ◽  
Bertran Chapron
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Wave Breaking ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Strong Wind ◽  
High Wind ◽  
Helmholtz Instability ◽  
Surface Drag ◽  
Moisture Exchange ◽  
Heat And Moisture

<p>We present results of the model treatment of momentum-, heat-, and moisture-exchange on the ocean surface under strong wind conditions. Despite the large amount of experimental and theoretical efforts, the mechanism and physics of the air-sea interaction at high wind conditions is still poor known and many open questions are still remained. (see e.g. Donelan et.al. 2004, Powell 2003, Kudryavtsev 2006, Jarosz 2007, Troitskaya et.al. 2011).</p><p>The model is based on extension of wind-over-wave couple model suggested by Kudryavtsev, Chapron and Makin (2014, hereinafter KCM2014). This model confirmed crucial role of wave breaking on surface drag and heat-, moister-transfer coefficients. Description of wave breaking crest roughness in KCM2014 is treated as Kolmogorov-type spectra resulting from the energy flux from the largest energetic breaking disturbances toward shorter scales. To extend KCM2014 model on high wind conditions, we introduced  Kelvin- Helmholtz instability which is able to disrupt both the crests of short regular (non-breaking) waves, and the small-scale breaking crests roughness. It is suggested that at wind speed exceeding a critical value, spectral components of both regular wind waves and breaking crests roughness are subjected to Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and aerodynamically disrupted, and thus do not contribute to the total form drag. This effect results in decrease of the surface drag, that in turn, following KCM2014, leads to  enhancement of exchange at the sea surface heat and moister transfer. As a consequence, ratio of the enthalpy to the drag coefficient increases and at wind speed above 25 m/s exceeds critical level introduced by (Emanuel, 1995). Comparison of model predictions with available data at high winds is encouraging, and suggests that accounting for the Kelvin- Helmholtz instability in the wind-over-wave coupled model provides realistic description of air-sea interaction under strong wind condition.</p><p>The work was supported by Russian Science Foundation grant No 17-77-30019.</p>

Retrieval of Ocean Surface Wind Speed and Wind Direction Using Reflected GPS Signals

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 515-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Attila Komjathy ◽  
Michael Armatys ◽  
Dallas Masters ◽  
Penina Axelrad ◽  
Valery Zavorotny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Direction ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Surface Wind Speed ◽  
Ocean Surface Wind

scholarly journals Ocean Surface Wind Speed Retrieval Using Simulated RADARSAT Constellation Mission Compact Polarimetry SAR Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 1876
Author(s):  
He Fang ◽  
William Perrie ◽  
Guosheng Zhang ◽  
Tao Xie ◽  
Shahid Khurshid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽  
Wind Direction ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Synthetic Aperture ◽  
Ocean Surface Wind ◽  
Sar Data ◽  
Relative Wind ◽  
Aperture Radar

We investigated the use of C-band RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for retrieval of ocean surface wind speeds by using four new channels (right circular transmit, vertical receive (RV); right circular transmit, horizontal receive (RH); right circular transmit, left circular transmit (RL); and right circular transmit, right circular receive (RR)) in compact polarimetry (CP) mode. Using 256 buoy measurements collocated with RADARSAT-2 fine beam quad-polarized scenes, RCM CP data was simulated using a “CP simulator”. Provided that the relative wind direction is known, our results demonstrate that wind speed can be retrieved from RV, RH and RL polarization channels using existing C-band model (CMOD) geophysical model function (GMF) and polarization ratio (PR) models. Simulated RR-polarized radar returns have a strong linear relationship with speed and are less sensitive to relative wind direction and incidence angle. Therefore, a model is proposed for the RR-polarized synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. Our results show that the proposed model can provide an efficient methodology for wind speed retrieval.

Ocean surface wind speed retrieval from C-band quad-polarized SAR measurements at optimal spatial resolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-164
Author(s):  
He Fang ◽  
William Perrie ◽  
Gaofeng Fan ◽  
Tao Xie ◽  
Jingsong Yang
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Surface Wind Speed ◽  
Ocean Surface Wind

scholarly journals Analysis of simultaneous aerosol and ocean glint retrieval using multi-angle observations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk Knobelspiesse ◽  
Amir Ibrahim ◽  
Bryan Franz ◽  
Sean Bailey ◽  
Robert Levy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Atmospheric Correction ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
True Value ◽  
Aerosol State ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Since early 2000, NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument has been performing remote sensing retrievals of aerosol optical properties from the polar orbiting Terra spacecraft. A noteworthy aspect of MISR observations over the ocean is that, for much of the Earth, some of the multi-angle views have contributions from solar reflection by the ocean surface (glint, or glitter), while others do not. Aerosol retrieval algorithms often discard these glint influenced observations because they can overwhelm the signal and are difficult to predict without knowledge of the (wind speed driven) ocean surface roughness. However, theoretical studies have shown that multi-angle observations of a location at geometries with and without reflected sun glint can be a rich source of information, sufficient to support simultaneous retrieval of both the aerosol state and the wind speed at the ocean surface. We are in the early stages of creating such an algorithm. In this manuscript, we describe our assessment of the appropriate level of parameterization for simultaneous aerosol and ocean surface property retrievals using sun glint. For this purpose, we use Generalized Nonlinear Retrieval Analysis (GENRA), an information content assessment (ICA) technique employing Bayesian inference, and simulations from the Ahmad-Fraser iterative radiative transfer code. We find that four parameters are suitable: aerosol optical depth (τ), particle size distribution (expressed as the fine mode fraction f of small particles in a bimodal size distribution), surface wind speed (w), and relative humidity (r, to define the aerosol water content and complex refractive index). None of these parameters define ocean optical properties, as we found that the aerosol state could be retrieved with the nine MISR near-infrared views alone, where the ocean body is black in the open ocean. We also found that retrieval capability varies with observation geometry, and that as τ increases so does the ability to determine aerosol intensive optical properties (r and f, while it decreases for w). Increases in wind speed decrease the ability to determine the true value of that parameter, but have minimal impact on retrieval of aerosol properties. We explored the benefit of excluding the two most extreme MISR view angles for which radiative transfer with the plane parallel approximation is less certain, but found no advantage in doing so. Finally, the impact of treating wind speed as a scalar parameter, rather than as a two parameter directional wind, was tested. While the simpler scalar model does contribute to overall aerosol uncertainty, it is not sufficiently large to justify the addition of another dimension to parameter space. An algorithm designed upon these principles is in development. It will be used to perform an atmospheric correction with MISR for coincident ocean color (OC) observations by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, also on the NASA Terra spacecraft. Unlike MISR, MODIS is a single view angle instrument, but it has a more complete set of spectral channels ideal for determination of ocean optical properties. The atmospheric correction of MODIS OC data can therefore benefit from MISR aerosol retrievals. Furthermore, higher spatial resolution data from coincident MISR observations may also improve glint screening.

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