Hurricane Observations with GNSS-Reflectometry from CYGNSS Mission – Case Study of Hurricane Irma 2017

In this study, the ability of GNSS-R technique to observe and track hurricane is investigated from the CYGNSS mission, as the specular reflection points tracks pass through the eye of Hurricane Irma. The clear variations of the CYGNSS observables, including the Normalized Bistatic Radar Cross Section (NBRCS), the Leading Edge Slope (LES), the Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR), and the derived wind speed, are examined. CYGNSS-derived wind speeds are compared to other satellite missions, including ASCAT, WindSat, and SMAP. CYGNSS-derived wind speeds exhibit a similar behaviour than the collocated ASCAT, WindSat, and SMAP over the hurricane eye, but are underestimated under high wind conditions.