A Field-Wise Wind Retrieval Algorithm for Satellite Scatterometers - Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium Proceedings, 1998. IGARSS '98. 1998 IEEE International

Traditional satellite scatterometer wind retrieval algorithms consist of point-wise wind estimation and pointwise ambiguity removal. Point-wise estimation yields multiple estimates, or ambiguities, for the average near-surface ocean wind in each scatterometer resolution element, requiring subsequent ambiguity removal. Even though some point-wise ambiguity removal techniques achieve a high skill, they are still subject to error and usually rely on numerical model analysis fields. An alternative to point-wise wind retrieval, one that does not rely on numerical model analysis fields, is fieldwise or model-based retrieval. An automated field-wise retrieval algorithm is presented and tested on NSCAT data. Results indicate that field-wise retrieval provides a reliFigure 1: Field-wise wand :retrieval is one possible alternative to the traditional retrieval method. A field-wise wind retrieval algorithm consists of field-wise estimation and field-wise ambiguity removal. able means of performing wind retrieval without numerical model analysis winds. wind field W is X = F t W , where Ft is the pseudo-inverse of F.