Surface and airborne radiometric observations during the Coastal Ocean Probing Experiment: an overview

Radiometric observations obtained during the September 1995 Coastal Oceans Probing Experiment are presented. The radiometric goals of the experiment included the determination of the accuracy of polarimeters in measuring ocean wind speed and direction, the study of the frequency and angular response of microwave radiometers to wind and internal waves, and the comparison of radiometric, polarimetric, and scatterometric response to the ocean surface. Observations include those from a scanning 5-mm-wavelength radiometer deployed on the R/V FLIP, a blimp-borne dual-channel radiometer at 23.87 and 31.65 GHz, and a blimp-borne 37-GHz polarimeter. Ground truth, to which these observations can be compared, was obtained from FLIP data and includes wind speed and direction and atmospheric stability