On a new relationship between radar cross section and wind speed using ERS-1 scatterometer data and ECMWF analysis data over the Mediterranean Sea

The authors present work in the field of wind reconstruction by means of spaceborne scatterometer. A new relationship between the radar cross section and the wind field is investigated. Its functional form has been recently suggested by some recent studies performed over the Pacific Ocean. Due to its intrinsic capability to model weak wind fields the relationship is of special relevance in a closed sea such as the Mediterranean. The authors investigate the case of ERS-1 scatterometer data (C-band) and the radar cross section wind field relationship is determined by means of the ECMWF analysis over the Mediterranean Sea.