SASS measurements of theKu-band radar signature of the ocean

SeaSat-A Satellite Scatterometer (SASS) measurements of normalized radar cross section (NRCS) have been merged with high quality surface-wind fields based on in situ, to create a large data base of NRCS-wind signature data. These data are compared to the existing NRCS-wind model used by the SASS to infer winds. False-color maps of SASS NRCS and ocean winds from multiple orbits show important synoptic trends.