Feasibility of Wind Direction Observation Using Low-Altitude Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry

Abstract

A study investigating the feasibility of retrieving wind direction using low-altitude backward geometry of Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) is implemented in this paper. This paper first focuses on analyzing the influence of wind direction on the roughness of sea surface and scattering strength. The results show that backward scattered GNSS signals obviously change over wind direction despite of the weaker power level than the forward signals. Then, the power link of backward scattered GNSS signal and the visible number of the satellites composing the bistatic backward observation geometry with the receiver are analyzed. Backward scattered GNSS signals are lower about $10\text{--}20$ dB than forward ones; hence, a higher gain left-hand circularly polarization antenna should be used to receive them. In the same antenna view, theoretically the backward scattered signals from about three satellites could be received. Finally, a retrieving algorithm of wind direction based on matching theory is proposed. The retrieving results using simulated data show that, first, multibeam observation (at least three-beam observation) should be utilized to remove the uncertainty of retrieving wind direction, second, the accuracy of wind speed and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the delay waveform importantly impact on the retrieving performance of wind direction, therefore, it is needed to improve the measuring accuracy of wind speed and the SNR. In one word, all results mentioned above give the guide information to observe wind direction using low-altitude GNSS-R.