Comparison of Ocean-Surface Winds Retrieved From QuikSCAT Scatterometer and Radarsat-1 SAR in Offshore Waters of the U.S. West Coast

Abstract

In this letter, we generate a temporal/spatial matchup data set between QuikSCAT scatterometer and RADARSAT-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) wind products in offshore waters along the U.S. West Coast. Analysis of the resulting three-year database shows that, in general, the wind products from both sensors have characteristics similar to those reported in the literature. Then, we perform an error analysis in the space domain and find that there is significant discrepancy between the two wind products as the matchup points move closer to the coast. The root-mean-square error (rmse) and standard deviation (STD) between the two data sets increases markedly for points matched within about 100 km of the coastline. Beyond 100 km, the rmse, STD, and systematic bias become small and stable. In addition, an empirical relationship between QuikSCAT and SAR winds in coastal region is proposed. Thus, the bias and errors should be taken into account if the standard operational QuikSCAT wind products are used for forcing models in the coastal ocean.