A Unique Satellite-Based Sea Surface Wind Speed Algorithm and Its Application in Tropical Cyclone Intensity Analysis

Abstract

AbstractThis study proposes a sea surface wind speed retrieval algorithm (the Hong wind speed algorithm) for use in rainy and rain-free conditions. It uses a combination of satellite-observed microwave brightness temperatures, sea surface temperatures, and horizontally polarized surface reflectivities from the fast Radiative Transfer for TOVS (RTTOV), and surface and atmospheric profiles from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Regression relationships between satellite-observed brightness temperature and satellite-simulated brightness temperatures, satellite-simulated brightness temperatures, rough surface reflectivities, and between sea surface roughness and sea surface wind speed are derived from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR-2). Validation results of sea surface wind speed between the proposed algorithm and the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) data show that the estimated bias and RMSE for AMSR-2 6.925- and 10.65-GHz bands are 0.09 and 1.13 m s−1, and −0.52 and 1.21 m s−1, respectively. Typhoon intensities such as the current intensity (CI) number, maximum wind speed, and minimum pressure level based on the proposed technique (the Hong technique) are compared with best-track data from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), and the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMSS) for 13 typhoons that occurred in the northeastern Pacific Ocean throughout 2012. Although the results show good agreement for low- and medium-range typhoon intensities, the discrepancy increases with typhoon intensity. Consequently, this study provides a useful retrieval algorithm for estimating sea surface wind speed, even during rainy conditions, and for analyzing characteristics of tropical cyclones.