| Summary: | Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited === Synthetic Aperture Radar wind retrieval models have great potential to accurately depict the mesoscale wind field on the order of hundreds of meters. However, there are still significant hurdles to overcome in applying the theory in a fully automated algorithm. This thesis is a result of collaboration between the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, Bergen, Norway and the Naval Postgraduate School. It examines two wind retrieval models on basis of in-situ and remote data from NORCSEX 95 in the interest of improving our understanding and application of these models. The individual models are based on Bragg backscatter from the ocean surface however, the CMOD4 model is directly related to the backscatter while the SWA model is related to the spectral resolution of the backscatter field. Each model has specific advantages and disadvantages related to processing and automation. For this data set they show very good agreement with each other and with in-situ measurements. Plots of optimum wind vectors derived from a combination of CMOD4 and SWA wind vectors are shown to illustrate the high resolution wind fields available with this technology.
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