THE NATURE OF MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS FOR SURFACE WIND SPEED OVER THE OCEANS FROM SCATTEROMETER MEASUREMENTS

摘要

The satellite SEAS AT-A will carry a radar Scatterometer in order to measure microwave backscatter from the sea surface. From pairs of radar measurements at angles separated by 90 in azimuth the surface wind speed and direction may be inferred, though not uniquely. In this paper the character of the solutions for wind speed and direction is displayed, as well as the nature of the ambiguities of these solutions. An economical procedure for handling such data is described, plus a criterion for the need for conventional (surface) data in order to resolve the ambiguities of solutions.