Simulations of Physical Retrieval of Tropical Cyclone Thermal Structure Using 55-GHz Band Passive Microwave Observations from Polar-Orbiting Satellites

摘要

A method for estimating the horizontal structure of the uprx-r-tropospheric warm anomaly of tropical cyclones from 55-GHz microwave observations is presented. Because the peak warming occurs ever an area smaller than that viewed by current and plannedsatellite antenna systems, it is necessary to model explicitly the interaction of the warm anomaly structure and antenna gain pattern. The anomaly is approximated by an analytic function whose parameters are estimated using a maximum-likelihood algorithm with constraints analogous to that used for thermodynamic sounding retrieval or optimal interpolation. Simulation studies demonstrate the overall soundness of the technique and its possible performance and limitations when applied to two different polar-orbiting microwave sensors. MSU (Microwave Sounding Unit) and SSM /T (Special Sensor Microwave/Temperature).