A Spectra-Analysis-Based Algorithm for Wind Speed Estimation From X-Band Nautical Radar Images

In this letter, a new method for estimating wind speeds from X-band nautical radar images is presented. Wind speeds are determined from the wavenumber spectra of radar backscatter using a logarithmic relationship between the spectral strength and the wind speed. The method can be applied to both rain-contaminated and rain-free radar data. The method has been tested using shipborne X-band nautical data collected over the North Atlantic Ocean. A comparison with the anemometer data shows that the root mean square errors of wind speeds estimated from rain-contaminated radar data using the proposed method and that by Lund et al. are 1.6 and 7.5 m/s, respectively. The wind speed estimation accuracy is improved by 5.9 m/s with the new method.