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Abstract:
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of the sea surface underneath tropical cyclones have the potential to provide air-sea interaction data at km-scale resolution. However, many challenges remain in extracting such data in these extreme environments. This research focused on the problem of extracting surface vector wind and sea-level pressure fields from the SAR images. The geophysical model functions (GMFs) that describe the radar backscatter are currently poorly characterized for the very high winds and sea states in tropical cyclones. Calibration and validation of GMFs is severely inhibited by the lack of accurate in situ surface wind data. We demonstrate that surface pressure data provides a more useful method for validating and improving surface vector wind retrievals and that scene-wide wind vector retrievals that employ our technique are superior to the standard pixel-by-pixel methodologies that are currently standard practice. Aircraft and in situ data from the Impact of Typhoons on the Pacific (ITOP) 2010 field program were used to develop and demonstrate the methodology.
| Limitations: |
 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE |
| Description: |
Final rept. 1 Aug 2008-31 Dec 2011 |
| Pages: |
18 |
| Report Date: |
19 Mar 2012 |
| Contract Number: |
N00014-08-1-1165 |
| Report Number: |
A179755 |
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