A modified wind vector retrieval algorithm for polarimetric scatterometer

Experiments and theoretical analysis demonstrate that the polarimetric scatterometer has the potential in enhancing the accuracy of the wind vector retrieval. However, currently, there is no special wind vector retrieval algorithm for the polarimetric scatterometer. Based on the distribution characteristic of the objective function, a modified wind vector retrieval algorithm was designed for the conically scanning polarimetric scatterometer in this paper. Simulation experiments indicated that this algorithm could further improve the retrieval precision of the polarimetric scatterometer in comparison with the traditional algorithm, especially in the nadir- and outer-swath. By extending the wind direction range for the first and second ambiguity in the nadir- and outer-swath, the algorithm can effectively reduce the uncertainty of the wind direction solutions with error magnitude of 0° to 15°. Up to 2° improvement in wind direction retrieval can be achieved in the nadir track.