Characterizing the Atmospheric Boundary Layer for Offshore Wind Energy Using Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery

Measuring boundary layer stratification, wind shear, and turbulence remains challenging for wind resource assessment. In particular, larger eddy scales have the greatest impact on turbine load fluctuations, and there are few in situ methods to observe them adequately. Satellite remote sensing using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an alternative approach. In this study, eddy-related signatures in 704 high-resolution images are related to stratification through a bulk Richardson number (Ri$$ Ri $$) measured by a buoy near Martha's Vineyard, the US epicenter of offshore wind. Variations in SAR-observed atmospheric boundary layer eddies, or lack of them, correspond to specific Ri$$ Ri $$ regimes. Accounting for strong vertical wind shear, typically under stable stratification, is critical for energy production and turbine loads, and SAR directly identifies these conditions by the absence of energetic eddies. SAR also provides a regional climatology of atmospheric stratification for offshore wind assessment, complementing other observations, and with potential application worldwide.