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A Spectral Approach for Determining Altimeter Wind Speed Model Functions

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Abstract

We propose a new analytical algorithm for the estimation of wind speeds from altimeter data using the mean square slope of the ocean surface, which is obtained by integration of a widely accepted wind-wave spectrum including the gravity-capillary wave range. It indicates that the normalized radar cross section depends not only on the wind speed but also on the wave age. The wave state effect on the altimeter radar return becomes remarkable with increasing wind speed and cannot be neglected at high wind speeds. A relationship between wave age and nondimensional wave height based on buoy observational data is applied to compute the wave age using the significant wave height of ocean waves, which could be simultaneously obtained from altimeter data. Comparison with actual data shows that this new algorithm produces more reliable wind speeds than do empirical algorithms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Space Development Agency of Japan, Earth Observation Research Center, Tokyo, 104-6023, Japan

    Dongliang Zhao & Yoshiaki Toba

  2. Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China

    Dongliang Zhao

  3. Research Institute for Environmental Sciences and Public Health of Iwate Prefecture, Morioka, 020-0852, Japan

    Yoshiaki Toba

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  1. Dongliang Zhao
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Zhao, D., Toba, Y. A Spectral Approach for Determining Altimeter Wind Speed Model Functions. Journal of Oceanography 59, 235–244 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025599423405

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