Title :
An Improved Oceanic Rainfall Retrieval Algorithm and Results from Seawinds
Author :
Ahmad, Khalil ; Jones, W. Linwood ; Kasparis, Takis
Author_Institution :
Central Florida Remote Sensing Lab., Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Abstract :
This paper describes the development of an oceanic rainfall retrieval algorithm that combines both the simultaneous active (radar backscatter) and passive (microwave brightness temperatures) observations from the SeaWinds scatterometer on the QuikSCAT satellite. The retrieval algorithm is statistically based, and has been developed using collocated measurements from SeaWinds, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) rain rates, and the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) wind fields. The rain is retrieved on a wind vector cell (WVC) measurement grid that has a spatial resolution of 25 km. Due to its broad swath coverage, SeaWinds affords additional independent sampling of the oceanic rainfall, which may contribute to NASA´s future Global Precipitation Mission. Results emphasize the powerful rain detection capabilities of the SeaWinds retrieval algorithm.
Keywords :
atmospheric techniques; radar cross-sections; rain; remote sensing by radar; wind; Global Precipitation Mission; NASA; NCEP; National Center for Environmental Prediction; QuikSCAT satellite; SeaWinds scatterometer; TMI rain rates; TRMM Microwave Imager; Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission; active radar backscatter observation; oceanic rainfall retrieval algorithm; passive microwave brightness temperatures observation; wind vector cell measurement grid; Backscatter; Brightness temperature; Microwave measurements; Passive radar; Radar imaging; Radar measurements; Radar scattering; Rain; Sea measurements; Spaceborne radar;
Conference_Titel :
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2008. IGARSS 2008. IEEE International
Conference_Location :
Boston, MA
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-2807-6
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-2808-3
DOI :
10.1109/IGARSS.2008.4779716
