Active/Passive Geophysical Model Functions For Ocean Vector Wind Retrievals From TRMM

In this paper, we describe the development of Geophysical Model Functions (GMF) for remote sensing of ocean vector winds using the Precipitation Radar (PR) and TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) that operated for > 17 years on the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) observatory. Wind speed and anisotropic wind direction characteristics of the ocean backscatter and brightness temperature were empirically characterized for 49 PR beam positions and three TMI frequency channels. Temporal stability and sea surface temperature (SST) dependency of the GMFs are also evaluated.