A simplified Local Gradient method for the retrieval of SAR-derived sea surface wind directions

The aim of this work is to introduce and assess a revised Local Gradient method for the retrieval of SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) derived sea surface wind directions. A TerraSAR-X ScanSAR image has been processed. The estimated wind directions have been compared with the ones provided by the numerical weather model Eta. Preliminary results obtained using real data and Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the use of the new method provides an accurate estimation of local wind direction and allows a significant reduction of computation time.