ISSN 2070-7401 (Print), ISSN 2411-0280 (Online)
Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN REMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH FROM SPACE

  

Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2011, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 297-303

Algorithm for sea surface wind retrieval in tropics from AMSR-E data and its application to analysis of weather system

M.L. Mitnik , L.M. Mitnik 
V.I. Il'ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 43 Baltiyskaya Street, Vladivostok 690041, Russia
The description of algorithms of the sea surface wind speed W retrieval from Aqua AMSR-E passive microwave measurements is given. Algorithms were developed on the basis of the modelled brightness temperatures of the ocean-atmosphere system ТBVH(ν) at frequencies ν with vertical (V) and horizontal (H) polarization. ТBVH(ν) were computed with the use of tropical ship and island radiosonde data taking into account radiometer noises. ТBV,H(ν) at ν = 6.9 and 10.7 GHz were used for W retrieval in regression algorithm. Wind speed in algorithm based on consideration of physics of microwave radiative transfer in the ocean-atmosphere system was derived with the brightness temperatures TBH (11), TBV(24) and TBV(36) at frequencies of 10.7, 23.8 and 36.5 GHz, accordingly. The regression relationships between retrieved and reference values of wind speed were obtained. Retrieval errors increase with the increase of total cloud liquid water content Q. Cases with high atmospheric attenuation caused by heavy clouds and rains are filtered using polarisation difference at ν = 36.5 GHz: ΔTB(36) = TBV(36) - TBH(36). ΔTB = 15 K or 20 K was accepted as a threshold value. Algorithms were developed for wind speed estimate in the ocean areas with the surface temperature t ≥ 25°C. Examples of sea surface wind retrieval in tropical cyclones are given.
Keywords: brightness temperatures, sea surface emissivity, near-surface wind, total water vapor content, total cloud liquid water content, algorithms, AMSR-E, Aqua, tropical cyclones
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