Active and Passive Sensing of Sea Surface Friction Velocity
Abstract
The long term goal is to develop the capability of polarimetric microwave radiometers to estimate the sea surface wind stress, both the magnitude and direction, and to better understand the physical causes of the azimuthal variation of the sea surface brightness temperature, and its dependence on the air-sea parameters. I also hope to demonstrate the benefits of the integration of active and passive remote sensing to advance our physical knowledge and the skills of radiometry for measuring the air-sea interface. This will add to the scientific foundation for sensors, applications and operational space-based systems, such as the proposed WindSAT. Using coincident radar (10 GHz) and polarimetric radiometer (37 GHz) measurements acquired from a blimp platform during the COPE 95 Experiment, it is intended to develop a geophysical model function for wind stress, which can be used to invert an azimuthal radiometric signature for this quantity. Physical explanations are sought for the following observations: (1) why does the intensity of the azimuthal variation of the Stokes parameters decrease as the wind magnitude decreases, in contrast with that of the radar cross section whose azimuth variations increases, and (2) are the azimuthal signatures of the Stokes parameters affected by non-equilibrium waves (swell from distant sources) crossing the wind sea obliquely?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA552131
Entities
People
- David E. Weissman
Organizations
- Hofstra University