Evaluation of HY-2A Scatterometer Ocean Surface Wind Data during 2012–2018

Abstract

This study focuses on the evaluation of global Haiyang-2A satellite scatterometer (HSCAT) operational wind products from 2012 to 2018. In order to evaluate HSCAT winds, HSCAT operational wind products were collocated with buoy measurements and rainfall data. Error varieties under different atmospheric stratification and rainfall conditions were taken into consideration. After data quality control, the average bias and root mean square error (RMSE) between buoys and HSCAT data were 0.1 m/s and 1.3 m/s for wind speed, and 1° and 27° for wind direction, respectively. Especially, the varieties of the wind direction difference change a lot under non-neutral atmospheric conditions. HSCAT wind speeds are overestimated with an increasing rainfall rate while wind directions tend to be perpendicular to buoys’. In brief, the HSCAT wind product qualities are not stable during 2012 to 2018, especially for the data in 2015 and 2016. Atmospheric stratification and rain effects should be considered in wind retrieval and marine application.