The calibration of ERS-1 satellite scatterometer winds

Abstract

During the period mid-September to mid-December 1991, the RENE-91 campaign took place off the coast of Norway. Extensive in situ measurements of winds and waves were made from several platforms in order to calibrate these parameters derived from radar instruments on board the ERS-1 satellite. Over several weeks the UK Meteorological Research Flight C-130 aircraft measured low-level winds beneath the scatterometer swath. Together with data from other aircraft, ships, and buoys, an objective analysis scheme was used to form the best estimate of the local wind field for a quick-look comparison with the ERS-1 scatterometer data and later to determine an optimized relationship between the scatterometer's backscatter values and the local wind vector. -from Author