High Resolution Wind Mapping with RADARSAT SAR Imagery

摘要

This article assesses the capabilities of RADARSAT SAR imagery for high-resolution wind mapping. The mapping technique couples a scatterometer mode. function with two-dimensional image analysis and other fusion techniques for inverting the SAR back-scattering cross-sections into wind vectors. The SAR- derived results are compared with shipboard in situ measurements, coarse resolution winds derived from the coupled ocean atmosphere prediction system (COAMPS) model, special sensor microwave imager (SSM/1) and QUICKSCAT satellite measurements. The sensor-to-sensor comparisons show good overall agreement. The largest discrepancies are associated with measurements from the SCANSAR imaging mode, where antenna calibration is a suspect.