Passive microwave remote sensing of wind direction using SSM/I data

Extensive matchups constructed between SSM/I brightness temperatures and wind direction measurements from moored buoys and retrievals from the ERS-1 and -2 scatterometers clearly demonstrate that a wind direction signal is evident in the SSM/I data. The comparisons with the moorings show that the signal is similar for the SSM/I sensors on different satellites. The large number of matchups with the scatterometer measurements provide a detailed description of how the directional signal varies with environmental conditions. The amplitude of the directional signal is seen to increase with wind speed and be largely independent of the water vapor content and sea surface temperature.