A Simple Method for Calibration of a Scatterometer over the Ocean
Open Access
- 1 February 1999
- journal article
- Published by American Meteorological Society in Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology
- Vol. 16 (2) , 275-282
- https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0426(1999)016<0275:asmfco>2.0.co;2
Abstract
The absolute calibration of the backscatter signal of a scatterometer is essential for the retrieval of optimum-quality geophysical products. The European Space Agency targeted a specification of 0.2 dB for the accuracy of the European Remote Sensing Satellite scatterometers. A radiometric error of this amount leads to a wind speed error of roughly 0.25 m s−1. An interbeam bias of the same amount may lead to notable wind direction effects. In this paper, a method is discussed to obtain an accurate calibration of a scatterometer over the ocean using an accurate backscatter-to-wind transfer function and collocated winds from a numerical weather prediction model. The method is estimated to be accurate to a precision of 0.1 dB. It can be used for instrument monitoring, and application of the calibration results has a demonstrable and beneficial impact on the wind inversion.Keywords
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