Observations of Typhoon Eye on Ocean Surface Using SAR and Other Satellite Sensors

Abstract

In this study, typhoon eyes have been delineated using wavelet analysis from the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of ocean surface roughness and from the warmer area at the cloud top in the infrared (IR) images, respectively. RADARSAT and ENVISAT SAR imagery, and multi-functional transport satellite (MTSAT) and Feng Yun (FY)-2 Chinese meteorological satellite IR imagery were used to examine the typhoons in the western North Pacific from 2005 to 2011. Nine cases of various typhoons in different years, locations, and conditions have been used to compare the typhoon eyes by SAR (on the ocean surface) with IR (at the cloud-top level) images. Furthermore, the best track data getting from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), Chinese Meteorological Administration (CMA), and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) are checked for the calibration and validation along with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image. Because of the vertical wind shear, which acts as an upright tilt, the location of the typhoon eye on the ocean surface differs from that at the top of the clouds. Consequently, the large horizontal distance between typhoon eyes on the ocean surface and on the cloud top implies that the associated vertical wind shear profile is considerably more complex than generally expected. The upright tilt structure may be caused by the ocean's feedback or the effect of island obstruction. This result demonstrates that SAR can be a useful tool for typhoon monitoring study over the ocean surface.