A joint analysis of microwave radiometer and scatterometer data to characterize meso-scale structures in the Mediterranean Sea

An analysis of a large set of data, collected from the Special Sensor Microwave / Imager (SSM/I) radiometer and from the NASA SeaWinds scatterometer over the Mediterranean Sea is presented, with the aim of studying the mean behavior of various geophysical parameters, such as water vapor, surface rain rate, wind speed and Ekman pumping for the years 2000 and 2001. This paper presents the results of the study of two different meteorological situations occurring in the Mediterranean basin. Moreover, ability of these instruments for analyzing extreme events is shown through examples.