Comparison of WindSat and ASCAT Wind Fields on the Mediterranean Sea

The ocean wind vector (OWV) fields retrieved on the Mediterranean and Black seas by satellite-borne microwave active and passive instruments (the ASCAT and QuikSCAT scatterometers and the WindSat polarimetric radiometers) are statistically compared each other. The periods of the comparison vary: from 2003 to 2009 for QuikSCAT and WindSat, and 2009 to 2010 for ASCAT and WindSat. Global and local statistics of the OWV comparisons are performed and shown. Trends are evidenced for some parameters, and a general agreement in the statistical description of the OWV is found. The reason for the study was the need to increase the number of available observations in the Mediterranean Sea to better describe meso-scale f3 (20-200 km, [1]) atmospheric processes and the characteristics of the interaction of the wind flow with the orography.