Comparison of ocean surface vector winds observed by seawinds on ADEOS-II with ocean buoy data

Abstract

Wind vectors observed by SeaWinds on ADEOS-II are compared with wind and wave data from offshore moored buoys. The wind data were collocated with buoy observations operated by the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO), and Pilot Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA) projects. Only buoys located offshore and in deep water were selected. Temporal difference and spatial separation between the ADEOS-II/SeaWinds and buoy observations were limited to less than 10 min. and 12.5 km. Wind speeds measured by the buoys at various height above the sea surface were corrected to equivalent neutral winds at a height of 10 m. Wind speeds and directions observed by ADEOS-II/SeaWinds agree well with the buoy data. Root-mean-squared differences of the wind speed and direction are 0.93 m/s and 20.7 deg., respectively. Dependences of the residuals of wind speed and direction on the wind speed and cross-track cell locations are investigated. Dependencies of wind speed residuals on oceanographic and atmospheric parameters observed by buoys are also examined using the collocated data. No significant dependences on the sea surface temperature, atmospheric stability, and sea state are discernible