Presenting Author: Deborah Smith

Now that we have nearly a decade of QuikScat observations, it seems prudent to review the QuikScat geophysical model function (GMF). The original development of both the JPL and RSS GMF were based on a limited amount of data, particularly for winds above 15 m/s. There are questions about the dependence of the wind direction harmonics on wind speeds above 15 m/s. For example, does the amplitude of the harmonics continue to increase with wind speed or does the relationship flatten out? Another concern is the effect of ocean currents on the buoy versus QuikScat intercomparisons used in the original GMF derivations. And finally, given a decade of data, some fine tuning of the GMF is in order. The new GMF is based on winds coming from buoys (primary wind speed calibration for winds up to 15 m/s), NCEP (primary wind direction calibration up to 25 m/s), and H*Wind (wind speed and direction for very high winds). Rather than having a separate GMF at high winds, we are developing a single GMF to cover all winds. The new GMF is still under development, but we will show some preliminary results in the light of previous GMFs.

2025 International OVWST Meeting May 5th - 8th Darmstadt, Germany

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