Preliminary investigation of splash effect on high wind C-band HH-pol model function

The National Research Council Decadal Survey identified the need for a future mission to provide accurate real-time observations of ocean wind vectors from calm to tropical cyclone wind conditions with or without the presence of rain. Tasked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) developed a future scatterometer design that would leverage its success on the heritage of QuikSCAT but would provide more accurate measurements under all weather conditions through the use of Ku- and C-band coincident measurements of the ocean surface. To design a cost effective instrument for all weather operations from space the existing risks need to be mitigated. The work described in this paper attempts to validate results reported at hurricane strength winds in and investigate the effects of splash caused by precipitation on the scatterometer wind estimation.