A new Doppler frequency anomaly algorithm for surface current measurement with SAR

Values for Doppler center frequency are calculated from the echo signal at the satellite using the Doppler centroid method and so include the predicted Doppler frequency caused by the relative motion of the satellite and the Earth,which is the main component of Doppler center frequency and must be removed to obtain the Doppler frequency anomaly for ocean current measurement.In this paper,a new Doppler frequency anomaly algorithm was proposed when measuring surface currents with synthetic aperture radar(SAR).The key of the proposed algorithm involved mean filtering method in the range direction and linear fitting in the azimuth direction to remove the radial and the azimuthal component of predicted Doppler frequency from the Doppler center frequency,respectively.The basis is that the theoretical Doppler center frequency model of SAR exhibits an approximately linear characteristic in both the range direction and in the azimuth direction.With the help of the new algorithm for predicted Doppler frequency removal,the estimation error of Doppler frequency anomaly can be reduced by avoiding employing the theoretical antenna pattern and imperfect satellite attitude parameters in the conventional Doppler frequency method.SAR measurement results demonstrated that,compared to the conventional Doppler frequency with/without error correction method,the proposed algorithm allows for a pronounced improvement in the current measuring accuracy in comparison with the global ocean multi-observation(MOB)products.In addition,the eff ectiveness and robustness of the proposed Doppler algorithm has been demonstrated by its application in the high velocity current in the Kuroshio region.

Low Frequency Characteristics of Tropical Pacific Wind Stress Anomalies in Observations and Simulations from a Simple and a Comprehensive Models

Low frequency characteristics of tropical Pacific wind stress anomalies in observation and simulations from the CZ simple atmospheric model and COLA R15 AGCM are analyzed.The results show that ENSO event may be a multi-scale process,that is,ENSO time scale has the period longer than three years; biennial oscillation and annual variability.Dynamical characteristics are involved in the evolution process of wind stress anomaly with ENSO time scale: 1) the development and eastward movement of a cyclonic anomaly circulation in subtropical northwestern Pacific and weakening of Southern Oscillation result in the eastward propagation of westerly anomaly along the equator,therefore,interactions between flows in subtropics and in tropics play an important role in the evolution of wind stress anomaly with ENSO time scale; 2) easterly and westerly anomalies with ENSO time scale are one kind of propagating wave,which differs from Barnett's (1991).It is interesting that the evolution of observed and simulated wind stress anomalies with biennial time scale bears a strong resemble to that with ENSO time scale although their period is different.Observed annual variability is weak during 1979-1981 and intensified after 1981,especially it reaches to maximum during 1982-1984,and the spatial structure of the first mode is the ENSO-like pattern.