Tropospheric wind and humidity derived from spaceborne radar intensity and phase observations

Abstract

Causal connections between mesoscale wind patterns and moisture distribution in the lower boundary layer can be studied using satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations. Wind information is retrieved from radar backscatter intensity over water areas, whereas the moisture distribution is reflected in the radar signal delay. The latter can only be observed over land areas, using the interferometric combination of two radar images. This paper reports on the relation between wind and moisture associated with boundary layer rolls and with a cold-frontal rain band. The combination of both signals, originating from one sensor, is used to infer a quantitative description of the underlying dynamical processes.