Extracting Fine-Scale Wind Fields from Synthetic Aperture Radar Images of the Ocean Surface

ork is described whose long-term goal is the extraction and analysis of fine-scale wind fields from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of the ocean surface. Results are based on a field experiment in which a SAR image was taken nearly simultaneously with in situ aircraft-based turbulence and radar altimeter measurements. These results show a direct correlation between SAR “streaks” and atmospheric roll vortices. They also show that rolls generate mesoscale variability in the surface wave spectrum, implying that SAR streaks are due to ocean surface roughness elements created by both the instantaneous and time-averaged multiscale wind field. We are using these results to refine an analysis aimed at transforming radar backscatter into fine-scale marine mean wind speed. (