Airborne Measurements of Oceanic Wind Vector Fields over the Labrador Sea Using Passive Polarimetric Radiometry

• Main Author: Gasiewski, Albin J
• Other Authors: NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION BOULDER CO ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY LAB
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1997
• Subjects: Meteorology; Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; Numerical Mathematics; Test Facilities; Equipment and Methods; Optics; *ALGORITHMS; *LABRADOR SEA; *POLARIMETRY; *RADIOMETRY; *WIND VELOCITY; AIRBORNE; MEASUREMENT; OCEAN SURFACE; AIRBORNE MEASUREMENT; OCEANIC WIND VECTOR FIELDS; PASSIVE POLARIMETRIC RADIOMETRY; OCEAN SURFACE IMAGING; Labrador Sea
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA628819; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA628819

The focus of this research is to develop algorithms and system concepts for the spaceborne imaging of ocean surface winds using passive microwave radiometers. The application of passive radiometry to ocean surface imaging, specifically using polarimetric microwave measurements of the third and fourth Stokes' parameters, has been identified as a potentially useful and low-cost means of obtaining the magnitude and direction of near-surface winds from space. The purpose of this work is to empirically characterize the polarimetric thermal emission signature from a wind-driven ocean surface using airborne measurements and to use the measured data to develop a theoretical emission model adequate for the prediction of satellite signatures at all wind speed ranges. An additional goal is to identify and develop the most practical and stable polarimetric radiometer hardware for airborne and spaceborne deployment. Prepared in collaboration with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.