AMSR-E advanced wind speed retrieval algorithm and its application to marine weather systems

The physical-based algorithm for the sea surface wind speed W retrieval from Aqua AMSR-E passive microwave measurements is considered. The brightness temperatures T_B^V(24) at 23.8 GHz and T_B^V(36) at 36.5 GHz with vertical (V) polarization and T_B^H(11) at 10.7 GHz with horizontal (H) polarization and results of computations of the brightness temperature of the calm ocean surface T_Boc^H(11) are used at first to estimate contribution of the atmosphere to T_B^H(11), then increment of T_Boc^H(11) caused by wind action and at last wind speed. The developed algorithm is applied to AMSR-E data obtained in the Northwest Pacific Ocean over extratropical cyclones with gale winds. The retrieved fields of wind speed are compared with scatterometer-derived fields and the surface analysis maps.