Aquarius/SAC-D MicroWave Radiometer ocean wind speed measurements

Aquarius/SAC-D is an Earth remote sensing satellite observatory developed jointly by NASA and the Argentine Space Agency (CONAE). This science mission is to measure sea surface salinity with high precision for better understanding of the hydrological cycle and global climate studies. The MicroWave Radiometer (MWR) is a sensor that operates at K-band and Ka-band to provide environmental parameter measurements, namely: integrated water vapor, ocean surface wind speed, oceanic rain rate, and sea ice concentration. Providing these parameters coincidently, with the primary instrument, the Aquarius L-band radiometer and scatterometer, will aid in the retrieval of sea surface salinity. This paper deals only with the MWR measurement of ocean surface wind speed and presents wind speed measurement results and comparison with independent satellite-derived wind speeds using the Navy's WindSat radiometer.