Extended Abstract (640K)4A.8
Calibration of a 94 GHz Airborne Cloud Radar Using Measurements from Ocean Surface
Lihua Li, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Greenbelt, MD; and G. Heymsfield, P. Racette, and L. Tian
Ocean surface has been widely used as a calibration target for airborne and spaceborne microwave sensors. However, at millimeter-wave frequency, the ocean surface backscattering mechanism is still not well understood due to the lack of experiment measurements. During the Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers - Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE), measurements of ocean surface scattering have been made using a 94 GHz (W-band) cloud radar on board the NASA ER-2 high altitude aircraft. The relationship between the normalized ocean surface cross section and the incidence angle at different wind condition was obtained. Analysis of radar measurements shows very good agreement with quasi-specular models. This unprecedented dataset enhances our knowledge about the ocean surface scattering mechanism at 94 GHz and provide valuable reference to develop a real time calibration algorithm for airborne and spaceborne millimeter-wave cloud radars.
Session 4A, MM-wave radar observations on cloud and climate - I I
Thursday, 7 August 2003, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM
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