Combined high-resolution active and passive imaging of ocean surface winds from aircraft

A unique complement of passive and active microwave imaging and sensing instruments for observing ocean surface emission and scattering signatures were integrated onto the NASA Wallops Flight Facility's Orion P-3B aircraft (N426NA) for the purpose of studying the signature of ocean surface winds. The complement included: (i) a four-band (X, K, Ka, and W) tri-polarimetric scanning radiometer (PSR) (ii) a C-band ocean surface scatterometer (CSCAT), (iii) a Ka-band conical-scanning; polarimetric radiometer (KASPR), (iv) a nadir-viewing Ka-band polarimetric radiometer, (KAPOL) (v) a 21- and 31-GHz zenith-viewing cloud and water vapor radiometer (CWVR), and (vi) a radar ocean wave spectrometer (ROWS). The above Ocean Winds Imaging (OWI) complement was flown during January-March, 1997 over the Labrador Sea. Conically-scanned brightness temperature and backscatter imagery were observed over open ocean for a variety of wind speeds and cloud conditions. Presented herein are the results of a preliminary intercomparison of data from several of the OWI instruments.