Development of an ocean surface emissivity model for wide swath imaging of wind speed to hurricane force

The Hurricane Imaging Radiometer, HIRad, is a new instrument for making wind and rain observations in hurricanes. It is being developed by NASA to give NOAA improved capability in forecasting hurricane intensity and track. HIRad is being designed to measure ocean surface wind speed up to greater than 70 m/sec. over a swath out to plusmn60 deg. Current surface emissivity models are not adequate for both high winds and a large swath so a HIRad model is being developed. NOAA, Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer brightness temperature measurements are being used in this development This paper presents a review of the HIRad wind speed model development and the preliminary results for both V-pol and H-pol.