This paper presents an overview of satellite scatterometry for remote sensing of the global environment from the tropics
to polar regions. Results were derived from microwave backscatter data acquired by the NASA SeaWinds scatterometer
aboard the QuikSCAT (QSCAT) satellite. QSCAT observed two successive super cyclones that hit the Orissa coastal
region of India, affecting 15 million people in 1999. The extent of soil moisture change was delineated after Cyclone
Nargis made landfall in Myanmar in May 2008. QSCAT detected excessive rainwater followed by a severe drought
leading to widespread wildfires in California, U.S., in 2007. QSCAT tracked vegetation change in an extreme drought in
Nairobi, Kenya, affecting 3 million people in 2000. QSCAT monitored snowmelt patterns over the Northern
Hemisphere, which showed poleward oscillations of melt bands. QSCAT revealed a record reduction in Arctic perennial
sea ice in this decade and a further drastic decline of perennial ice in 2008. At 1-km posting, QSCAT identified urban
and suburban areas where backscatter was shown to correlate with population density. QSCAT delineated wind shadow
areas near small islands in the Asia-Pacific region. These results demonstrate that satellite scatterometer can provide
numerous crucial data products to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems.
Spaceborne scatterometers are active microwave radar instruments designed to acquire near-simultaneous, spatially collocated measurements of the normalized radar backscattering cross section (sigma0) of the global surface from several azimuth and/or incidence angles. The primary objective of the scatterometer mission is to measure the near-surface wind speed and direction over the global ocean using sigma0 measurements together with a wind geophysical model function. However, since sigma0 measurements are collected globally all the time, sigma0 data can also be used for global land and ice applications. In this paper, we will first present the objectives of the QSCAT mission, the instrument design, and the unique features of the Ku- band scatterometer currently in operation, called SeaWinds on QuikSCAT (QSCAT). We will then present some emerging land and ocean applications of the QSCAT data, which include (1) global snow detection and monitoring, (2) melt region mapping on the Greenland ice sheet, (3) Monsoon flood detection and monitoring, (4) soil wetness application at large scale, and (5) hurricane monitoring and tracking.
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