Sea foam effects on the brightness temperature at L-band

Two field experiments named WISE (WInd and Salinity Experiment) were sponsored by ESA to better understand the wind and sea state effects on the brightness temperatures. They took place at the Casablanca oil rig located in the North Mediterranean Sea, 40 km off shore the Ebro river delta: WISE 2000 from November 25 to December 18 2000, and continued during the January 9 to 16 2001, and WISE 2001 from October 23 to November 22. During the spring of 2003, under Spanish National funds, a new field experiment named FROG (Foam, Rain, Oil slicks and GPS reflectometry) took place at the Ebro river delta, to measure the phenomena that were not completely understood during the WISE campaigns, mainly the effect of foam and rain. In order to achieve the objectives of the WISE field experiments the LAURA L-band fully polarimetric radiometer from the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) was mounted on the Casablanca oil-rig at the 32 meters deck above the sea surface, pointing to the North and North-West, in the direction of the dominant winds. In this paper we present the results of the first study to determine the relationship between the brightness temperature and the sea foam coverage.