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Instrument details
Acronym
WindRAD
Full name
Wind Radar
Purpose
Sea surface wind, surface soil moisture
Short description
Two frequencies, C-band (5.3 GHz) and Ku-band (13.265 GHz). Four antennas with HH and VV for both frequencies. Each pixel illuminated under several viewing angles.
Background
New development
Scanning Technique
Conical scanning with incidence angles 36-45° (C-band) and 37-43° (Ku-band). Swath > 1200 km.
Resolution
C-band: 25 km, Ku-band: 10 km
Coverage / Cycle
Near-global coverage each day.
Mass
Power
265 W
Data Rate
Providing Agency
CMA
Instrument Maturity
Flown on operational programme
Utilization Period:
≥2021-10 to ≥2026
Last update:
2021-06-02
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on
Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a
green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates
future satellites
Instrument classification
Earth observation instrument Active and radio-occultation sensor Scatterometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
Subcomponent 1 Scatterometer [in SSO]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives Wind speed (near surface) Wind vector (near surface) Secondary mission objectives Biomass Leaf Area Index (LAI) Sea-ice type Soil moisture (in the roots region) Soil moisture at surface Opportunity objectives Snow cover Snow status (wet/dry) Snow water equivalent Show all Show fewer
Tentative Evaluation of Measurements
The following list indicates which measurements can typically be
retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable,
click on the respective variable.
Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Variable Relevance for measuring this variable Operational limitations Explanation
Biomass 3 - high Index only.. Coarse spatial resolution. Derived from differential effect of vegetation on C-band and Ku-band
Leaf Area Index (LAI) 2 - very high Coarse spatial resolution. C- and Ku- band scatterometr sensitive to LAI
Sea-ice type 1 - primary No specific limitation. Scatterometer, C-band (around 5.3 GHz) and Ku-band (around 13.3 GHz). Type interpreted as age/roughness
Snow cover 3 - high Coarse spatial resolution.. Thick snow only. Scatterometer in C-band (around 5.3 GHz) and Ku-band (around 13.3 GHz)
Snow status (wet/dry) 3 - high Coarse spatial resolution.. Thick snow only. Scatterometer in C-band (around 5.3 GHz) and Ku-band (around 13.3 GHz)
Snow water equivalent 5 - marginal Coarse spatial resolution.. Ground stations network needed. Scatterometer in C-band (around 5.3 GHz) and Ku-band (around 13.3 GHz)
Soil moisture (in the roots region) 3 - high Coarse spatial resolution.. Affected by vegetation. Scatterometer in C-band (around 5.3 GHz) and Ku-band (around 13.3 GHz). Assimilation process required
Soil moisture at surface 3 - high Coarse spatial resolution.. Affected by vegetation. Scatterometer in C-band (around 5.3 GHz) and Ku-band (around 13.3 GHz) to correct vegetation impact
Wind speed (near surface) 1 - primary Over sea only. C- and Ku-band scatterometer around 5.3 and 13.3 GHz
Wind vector (near surface) 1 - primary Over sea only. C- and Ku-band scatterometer around 5.3 and 13.3 GHz
Instrument: WindRAD