Wind measurement resolution for a scanning pencil beam scatterometer

The problem of determining the effective wind measurement resolution of a wind scatterometer is considered. Using simplifying assumptions and approximations, a simple linear model for wind retrieval is derived and related to the effective wind estimate resolution and the backscatter measurement resolution. This enables an analytic evaluation of the scatterometer wind measurement resolution. The effective wind resolution is shown to be related to the unique area of the σ⁰ measurements used to retrieve the wind. This area is a function of the σ⁰ measurement cell sizes and their coregistration. Using this result the resolution of the SeaWinds scatterometer is analyzed.