The Open Remote Sensing Journal

2012, 5 : 96-100
Published online 2012 October 5. DOI: 10.2174/1875413901205010096
Publisher ID: TORMSJ-5-96

On Measurement of the Sea Surface Wind Vector by the Airborne Weather Radars Having a Warious Scanning Sector

Alexey Nekrasov and Jason H. Middleton
Taganrog Institute of Technology, Southern Federal University, Per. 1 Krepostnoy 34, k. 249, 347922 Taganrog, Russia.

ABSTRACT

A method for estimating the near-surface wind vector over water using the airborne weather radar in addition to its standard navigational application is discussed. A case of an airplane rectilinear flight over the water surface is considered. The radar operates in the ground-mapping mode in the range of middle incidence angles as a scatterometer. Wind vector is recovered from the azimuth normalized radar cross section data obtained from a scanning sector. Algorithms for extracting the wind speed and direction are proposed.

Keywords:

Airborne weather radar, scatterometer, sea wind.