Sea surface wind measurement by airborne weather radar scanning in a wide-size sector

Abstract

We suggest a conceptual approach for measuring the near-surface wind vector over water using the airborne weather radar, in addition to its standard meteorological and navigation applications. The airborne weather radar operates in the ground-mapping mode in the range of high to medium incidence angles as a scatterometer. Using the aircraft rectilinear flight over the water surface, measuring the geometry and the geophysical model function, we show that the wind vector can be successfully recovered from the azimuth normalized radar cross-section data obtained from a scanning sector of up to ±100°. The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed wind vector measurement algorithms are supported by computer simulations indicating their potential as a powerful tool for the wind field reconstruction. Some limitations and recommendations of the suggested approach are further discussed.