Comparison of sea surface wind field measured by HY-2A scatterometer and WindSat in global oceans

In this study, we present a comprehensive comparison of the sea surface wind ?eld measured by scatterometer(Ku-band scatterometer) aboard the Chinese HY-2 A satellite and the full-polarimetric radiometer WindSat aboard the Coriolis satellite. The two datasets cover a four-year period from October2011 to September 2015 in the global oceans. For the sea surface wind speed, the statistical comparison indicates good agreement between the HY-2 A scatterometer and WindSat with a bias of nearly 0 m/s and a root mean square error(RMSE) of 1.13 m/s. For the sea surface wind direction, a bias of 1.41° and an RMSE of 20.39° were achieved after excluding the data collocated with opposing directions. Furthermore,discrepancies in sea surface wind speed measured by the two sensors in the global oceans were investigated.It is found that the larger dif ferences mainly appear in the westerlies in the both hemispheres. Both the bias and RMSE show latitude dependence, i.e., they have signi?cant latitudinal ?uctuations.     

HY-2散射计风速降雨影响的神经网络校正

海洋二号搭载的笔形圆锥扫描微波散射计(HY2-scat)是国内第一个业务化运行的,可提供大量实时海面风场数据的微波传感器。由于Ku波段散射计测风原理和微波传输特性,受到降雨影响的散射计反演风场数据准确度降低。降雨导致的微波传播路径衰减,雨滴对微波直接后向散射导致的回波能量增加和雨滴对海表面毛细波的干扰等综合效应,使得降雨条件下散射计测风风速计算值偏高,风向计算值偏差较大。针对散射计反演风速受降雨影响的特点引入神经网络模型,使用准确度较高的NWP数值预报模式风场数据作为参考,对受降雨影响的HY-2散射计反演L2B级标准风场数据产品进行校正,改进HY-2散射计反演风矢量在降雨条件下的准确度。与受降雨影响的散射计反演风场风速偏差相比较,经过神经网络校正后的风速偏差减小,说明该方法适用于改善受降雨影响的HY-2散射计测风风速精度。     

Comparison of two wind algorithms of ENVISAT ASAR at high wind

Two wind algorithms of ENVISAT advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR), i. e. CMOD4 model from the European Space Agency (ESA) and CMOD IFR2 model from Quilfen et al., are compared in this paper. The wind direction is estimated from orientation of low and linear signatures in the ASAR imagery. The wind direction has inherently a 180° ambiguity since only a single ASAR image is used. The 180° ambiguity is eliminated by using the buoy data from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) buoys moored in the Pacific. Wind speed is obtained with the two wind algorithms using both estimated wind direction and normalized radar cross section (NRCS). The retrieved wind results agree well with the data from Quikscat. The root mean square error (RMSE) of wind direction is 2.80? The RMSEs of wind speed from CMOD4 model and CMOD_IFR2 model are 1.09 m/s and 0.60 m/s, respectively. The results indicate that the CMOD_IFR2 model is slight better than CMOD4 model at high wind.     

Semi-Empirical Algorithm for Wind Speed Retrieval from Gaofen-3 Quad-Polarization Strip Mode SAR Data

Synthetic aperture radar(SAR)is a suitable tool to obtain reliable wind retrievals with high spatial resolution.The geophysical model function(GMF),which is widely employed for wind speed retrieval from SAR data,describes the relationship between the SAR normalized radar cross-section(NRCS)at the copolarization channel(vertical-vertical and horizontal-horizontal)and a wind vector.SAR-measured NRCS at cross-polarization channels(horizontal-vertical and vertical-horizontal)correlates with wind speed.In this study,a semi-empirical algorithm is presented to retrieve wind speed from the noisy Chinese Gaofen-3(GF-3)SAR data with noise-equivalent sigma zero correction using an empirical function.GF-3 SAR can acquire data in a quad-polarization strip mode,which includes cross-polarization channels.The semi-empirical algorithm is tuned using acquisitions collocated with winds from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.In particular,the proposed algorithm includes the dependences of wind speed and incidence angle on cross-polarized NRCS.The accuracy of SAR-derived wind speed is around 2.10ms−1 root mean square error,which is validated against measurements from the Advanced Scatterometer onboard the Metop-A/B and the buoys from the National Data Buoy Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.The results obtained by the proposed algorithm considering the incidence angle in a GMF are relatively more accurate than those achieved by other algorithms.This work provides an alternative method to generate operational wind products for GF-3 SAR without relying on ancillary data for wind direction.     

Numerical simulation of scatterometer assimilated wind and ocean wave in eastern China seas and adjacent waters

Using the latest version of Mesoscale Modeling System (MM5v3), we assimilated wind data from the scatterometer and built a model to assimilate the wind field over eastern China seas and adjacent waters and applied the wave model WAVEWATCH-Ⅲ to test the sea area with assimilative wind and blended wind of QSCAT and NCEP as driving forces. High precision and resolution numerical wave results were obtained. Analysis indicated that if we replace the model wind result with the blended wind, better sea surface wind results and wave results could be obtained.     

A wave modulation model of ripples over long surface waves

A study is presented on the modulation of ripples induced by a long surface wave (LW) and a new theoretical modulation model is proposed. In this model, the wind surface stress modulation is related to the modulation of ripple spectrum. The model results show that in the case of LW propagating in the wind direction with the wave age parameter of LW increasing, the area with enhanced shear stress shifts from the region near the LW crest on the upwind slope to the LW trough. With a smaller wave age parameter of LW, the ripple modulation has the maximum on the upwind slope in the vicinity of LW crest, while with a larger parameter the enhancement of ripple spectrum does not occur in that region. At low winds the amplitude of ripple modulation transfer function (MTF) is larger in the gravity wave range, while at moderate or high winds it changes little in the range from short gravity waves to capillary waves.     

Retrieval algorithm of sea surface wind vectors for WindSat based on a simple forward model

WindSat/Coriolis is the first satellite-borne polarimetric microwave radiometer, which aims to improve the potential of polarimetric microwave radiometry for measuring sea surface wind vectors from space. In this paper, a wind vector retrieval algorithm based on a novel and simple forward model was developed for WindSat. The retrieval algorithm of sea surface wind speed was developed using multiple linear regression based on the simulation dataset of the novel forward model. Sea surface wind directions that minimize the difference between simulated and measured values of the third and fourth Stokes parameters were found using maximum likelihood estimation, by which a group of ambiguous wind directions was obtained. A median filter was then used to remove ambiguity of wind direction. Evaluated with sea surface wind speed and direction data from the U.S. National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), root mean square errors are 1.2 m/s and 30° for retrieved wind speed and wind direction, respectively. The evaluation results suggest that the simple forward model and the retrieval algorithm are practicable for near-real time applications, without reducing accuracy.     

A wind-driven Yellow Sea Warm Current?

Observations of current velocity, pressure, and temperature in the eastern Yellow Sea during January 10 to April 12, 1986, and geostrophic winds calculated from surface pressure distributions, are analyzed for a study of the synoptic band response of the Yellow Sea to the wintertime winds. Currents in shallow coastal waters along a straight portion of the coast are mostly downwind to the south. Along the northern coast sheltered by a large bay, the current is persistently northward. This could be the result of a domination by geostrophic currents associated with an offshore-directed density gradient which is known to form in areas around this location. In the Yellow Sea trough, strong upwind flows are found to follow closely surges in the north wind. Co-spectral analyses show that these events are driven by a longitudinal pressure gradient associated with the sea-level set-up along the west coast of South Korea under a prevailing north wind.     

Analysis of ERS-2 scatterometer winds and wind-wave calculation for eastern China seas

The wind system over the China seas plays an important role in climate variation there. In this paper, ERS-2 scatterometer winds covering the period of 1998 and the area of 25-41°N, 117-130°E were analyzed and compared to NCEP winds and buoy winds in the same period and location, to assess how well the ERS-2 data reflect the real wind regime, at least for this area. The results indicated that ERS-2 scatterometer winds are closer to buoy observations than NCEP winds. In addition, a new wind-wave growth relation was applied to calculate wave parameters.     

A physics-based dual-frequency approach for altimeter wind speed retrieval

The altimeter normalized radar cross section(NRCS) has been used to retrieve the sea surface wind speed for decades, and more than a dozen of wind speed retrieval algorithms have been proposed. Despite the continuing efforts to improve the wind speed measurements, a bias dependence on wave state persists in all wind algorithms. On the basis of recent evidence that short waves are essentially modulated by local winds and much less affected by wave state, we proposed a physics-based approach to retrieve the wind speed from the dual-frequency difference in terms of the mean square slope of short waves. A collocated dataset of coincident altimeter/buoy measurements were used to develop and validate the approach. Validation against buoy measurements indicates that the approach is almost unbiased and has an overall root mean square error of 1.24 m s-1, which is 5.3% lower than the single-parameter algorithm in operational use(Witter and Chelton, 1991) and 2.4% lower than another dual-frequency approach(Chen et al., 2002). Furthermore, the results indicate that the new approach significantly improves the wave-dependent bias compared to the single-parameter algorithm. The capacity of altimeter to retrieve sea surface wind speed appears to be limited for the case of winds below 3 m s-1. The validity of the approach at high winds needs to be further examined in the future study.     

Dependence of Estimating Whitecap Coverage on Currents and Swells

The shipboard measurements of whitecap coverage(W) and the meteorological and oceanographic information from two cruises in the South China Sea and Western Pacific are explored for estimating W. This study aims at evaluating how to improve the parameterizations of W while considering the effects of currents and swells on wave breaking. Currents indeed affect W in a way that winds with following currents can decrease W, whereas winds with opposing currents can increase W. Then, 10-m wind speed over sea surface(U_(10)) is calibrated by subtracting the current velocity from U_(10) when the propagating directions of winds and currents are aligned. By contrast, when the direction is opposite, U_(10) is calibrated by adding the parallel velocity component of the opposing current to U_(10). The power fits of W dependence on the U_(10)-related parameters of U_(10), friction velocity, wind sea Reynolds number in terms of this calibrated-U_(10) obtain better results than those directly fitted to U_(10). Different from the effect of currents on W, wind blowing along the crest line of swells may contribute to the increase in W. The conclusions suggest that U_(10) should be calibrated first before parameterizing W in areas with a strong current or some swell-dominant areas.     

Wind wave characteristics and engineering environment of the South China Sea

Wave simulation was conducted for the period 1976 to 2005 in the South China Sea (SCS) using the wave model, WAVEWATCH-III. Wave characteristics and engineering environment were studied in the region. The wind input data are from the objective reanalysis wind datasets, which assimilate meteorological data from several sources. Comparisons of significant wave heights between simulation and TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter and buoy data show a good agreement in general. By statistical analysis, the wave characteristics, such as significant wave heights, dominant wave directions, and their seasonal variations, were discussed. The largest significant wave heights are found in winter and the smallest in spring. The annual mean dominant wave direction is northeast (NE) along the southwest (SW)-NE axis, east northeast in the northwest (NW) part of SCS, and north northeast in the southeast (SE) part of SCS. The joint distributions of wave heights and wave periods (directions) were studied. The results show a single peak pattern for joint significant wave heights and periods, and a double peak pattern for joint significant wave heights and mean directions. Furthermore, the main wave extreme parameters and directional extreme values, particularly for the 100-year return period, were also investigated. The main extreme values of significant wave heights are larger in the northern part of SCS than in the southern part, with the maximum value occurring to the southeast of Hainan Island. The direction of large directional extreme H _s values is focus in E in the northern and middle sea areas of SCS, while the direction of those is focus in N in the southeast sea areas of SCS.     

基于分数阶Fourier变换的高性能SAR成像算法

传统距离多普勒算法（RD）较低精度的SAR成像质量越来越不能满足当前实际应用的需要。为解决传统距离多普勒算法成像性能低的问题,本文提出基于分数阶Fourier变换的高性能SAR成像算法（FrFT-RD）。本文详细推导SAR距离向信号运用分数阶Fourier变换时最佳阶数的计算表达式,同时给出方位向相应的计算式。理论分析表明距离（方位）向最佳阶数均取决于SAR成像参数并具有唯一性,无须迭代运算,可极大提高FrFT-RD算法的工程实用性。根据计算得到的距离向和方位向上最优阶数,在分数阶Fourier变换域完成FrFT-RD算法的构建。机载SAR模拟数据和星载SAR实测数据测试表明,FrFT-RD算法在分辨率、峰值旁瓣比（PSLR）成像性能方面比传统RD算法均得到显著提高,其中距离向和方位向分辨率提高比值分别为45.92%和48.06%;距离向PSLR和ISLR降低幅度为1.45 dB和2.59 dB,而FrFT-RD算法在方位向PSLR和ISLR成像性能方面与传统RD算法相当。     

Analysis on monthly-averaged distribution of sea surface wind and wave over the seas southeast of Asia using ERS-2 scatterometer data

The wind system over the seas southeast of Asia (SSEA) plays an important role in China's climate variation. In this paper, ERS scatterometer winds covering the period from January 2000 to December 2000 and the area of 2-41 °N, 105- 130°E were analyzed with a distance-weighting interpolation method and the monthly mean distribution of the sea surface wind speed were given. The seasonal characteristics of winds in the SSEA were analyzed. Based on WAVEWATCH Ⅲ model, distribution of significant wave height was calculated.     

Deriving Changjiang coastal zone wind from C-band SAR and its application to salinity simulation

Wind plays an important role in hydrodynamic processes such as the expansion of Changjiang （Yangtze） River Diluted Water （CDW）, and shelf circulation in the Changjiang estuary. Thus, it is essential to include wind in the numerical simulation of these phenomena. Synthetic aperture radar （SAR） with high resolution and wide spatial coverage is valuable for measuring spatially inhomogeneous ocean surface wind fields. We have collected 87 ERS-2 SAR images with wind-induced streaks that cover the Cbangjiang coastal area, to verify and improve the validity of wind direction retrieval using the 2D fast Fourier transform method. We then used these wind directions as inputs to derive SAR wind speeds using the C-band model. To demonstrate the applicability of the algorithms, we validated the SAR-retrieved wind fields using QuikSCAT measurements and the atmospheric Weather Research Forecasting model. In general, we found good agreement between the datasets, indicating the reliability and applicability of SAR- retrieved algorithms under different atmospheric conditions. We investigated the main error sources of this process, and conducted sensitivity analyses to estimate the wind speed errors caused by the effect of speckle, uncertainties in wind direction, and inaccuracies in the normalized radar cross section. Finally, we used the SAR-retrieved wind fields to simulate the salinity distribution off the Changjiang estuary. The findings of this study will be valuable for wind resource assessment and the development of future numerical ocean models based on SAR images.     

WIND WAVES SIMULATION IN THE NORTH AREA OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

A third generation wave model was developed to simulate wind waves in the South China Sea near Hong Kong. The model solves the energy conservation equation of the two dimensional wave spectrum by directly computing the nonlinear energy interaction among waves of different frequencies, thus avoiding the imposition of restrictions on the shape of the predicted spectra. The use of an upwind difference scheme in the advective terms produces an artificial diffusion which partly compensates the dispersive effect due to the phase velocity differences among various wave components. The use of a semi-implicit scheme for the source terms together with a special treatment of the high frequency tail of the spectrum allows a large time integration step. Verification of the model was done for wave hindcasting studies under conditions of two typhoons and two cold fronts in the north part of the South China Sea near Hong Kong . The model results agree well with the field measurements except that the presence of a dista     

The anisotropy of loess magnetic susceptibility in the northeastern fringe of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau as an indicator of palaeowind direction

Estimates of the palaeo-subaerial wind direction were studied systematically for the first time by using the anisotropy of loess magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements in the northwestern China. One hundred and forty undisturbed oriented aeolian loess samples were collected from Lanzhou, Linxia and Wudu areas for AMS measurements, which indicated the subaerial wind directions were not the same while the loess deposited. From the Early Pleistocene to Middle Pleistocene till Late Pleistocene, the wind direction experienced an anticlockwise rotation in the studied area. We suggested this change was related to the uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the adjustment of current and landform effects.     

A new algorithm for sea-surface wind-speed retrieval based on the L-band radiometer onboard Aquarius

Aquarius is the second satellite mission to focus on the remote sensing of sea-surface salinity from space and it has mapped global sea-surface salinity for nearly 3 years since its launch in 2011. However,benefiting from the high atmospheric transparency and moderate sensitivity to wind speed of the L-band brightness temperature(TB),the Aquarius L-band radiometer can actually provide a new technique for the remote sensing of wind speed. In this article,the sea-surface wind speeds derived from TBs measured by Aquarius' L-band radiometer are presented,the algorithm for which is developed and validated using multisource wind speed data,including Wind Sat microwave radiometer and National Data Buoy Center buoy data,and the Hurricane Research Division of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory wind field product. The error analysis indicates that the performance of retrieval algorithm is good. The RMSE of the Aquarius wind-speed algorithm is about 1 and 1.5 m/s for global oceans and areas of tropical hurricanes,respectively. Consequently,the applicability of using the Aquarius L-band radiometer as a near all-weather wind-speed measuring method is verified.     

Wave steepness retrieved from scatterometer data in a genetic algorithm

Wave steepness is an important characteristic of a high sea state, and is widely applied on wave propagations at ports, ships, offshore platforms, and CO2 circulation in the ocean. Obtaining wave steepness is a difficult task that depends heavily on theoretical research on wavelength distribution and direct observations. Development of remote-sensing techniques provides new opportunities to study wave steepness. At present, two formulas are proposed to estimate wave steepness from QuikSCAT and ERS-1/2 scatterometer data. We found that wave steepness retrieving is not affected by radar band, and polarization method, and that relationship of wave steepness with radar backscattering cross section is similar to that with wind. Therefore, we adopted and modified a genetic algorithm for relating wave steepness with radar backscattering cross section. Results show that the root-mean-square error of the wave steepness retrieved is 0.005 in two cases from ERS-1/2 scatterometer data and from QuikSCAT scatterometer data.     

Annual and interannual variability of scatterometer ocean surface wind over the South China Sea

To investigate the annual and interannual variability of ocean surface wind over the South China Sea (SCS), the vector empirical orthogonal function (VEOF) method and the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) method were employed to analyze a set of combined satellite scatterometer wind data during the period from December 1992 to October 2009. The merged wind data were generated from European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS)-1/2 Scatterometer, NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) and NASA’s Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) wind products. The first VEOF mode corresponds to a winter-summer mode which accounts for 87.3% of the total variance and represents the East Asian monsoon features. The second mode of VEOF corresponds to a spring-autumn oscillation which accounts for 8.3% of the total variance. To analyze the interannual variability, the annual signal was removed from the wind data set and the VEOFs of the residuals were calculated. The temporal mode of the first interannual VEOF is correlated with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) with a four-month lag. The second temporal interannual VEOF mode is correlated with the SOI with no time lag. The time series of the two interannual VEOFs were decomposed using the HHT method and the results also show a correlation between the interannual variability and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events.