Simulated OVW retrievals in tropical cyclones for the next generation Dual Frequency Scatterometer

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential of the next generation Dual Frequency Scatterometer (DFS) proposed to fly onboard the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/GCOM-W2 future mission to measure surface ocean vector winds. An end-to-end simulation was performed to retrieve ocean vector winds in extreme weather conditions, where high winds are usually associated with high rain rates. Both C-and Ku-bands DFS active measurements were combined in the retrieval algorithm. The simultaneous observations of JAXA´s Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) were used to passively model both the atmospheric attenuation and rain volume backscatter to correct for rain effects and to further improve the retrievals range for tropical cyclones beyond that exhibited by the current operating scatterometers.