The Hurricane Imaging Radiometer wide swath simulation and wind speed retrievals

The knowledge of peak winds in hurricanes is critical to classification of hurricane intensity; therefore, there is a strong interest in the operational remote sensing of ocean surface winds for monitoring tropical storms and hurricanes, especially those which threaten landfall. Presently, the airborne Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) is the state-of-the-art remote sensor for providing this information in real-time, during hurricane surveillance flights. However, for the future, NASA and NOAA are collaborating in the development of the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD), which is a prototype of the next-generation high-flying airborne instrument for monitoring hurricanes. This paper describes a realistic end-to-end simulation of HIRAD hurricane measurements while flying on an unmanned Global Hawk aircraft. The objective of this research is to develop baseline retrieval algorithms and provide a wind speed measurement accuracy assessment for the upcoming NASA hurricane field program, Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP), to be conducted in 2010.