Abstract
The QuikSCAT scatterometer provides global daily coverage of oceanic near-surface vector winds. Recently, algorithms have been developed to enhance the spatial resolution of QuikSCAT winds from 25~km to 2.5~km posting. These ultra-high resolution winds are used, in comparison with standard L2B data product winds, to observe and track tropical cyclones. Resolution enhanced winds are found to provide additional storm structure such as inner core size and structure and the presence of multiple eyewalls compared with standard resolution winds. The 2.5~km winds are also able to observe storms nearer to the shore than 25~km winds. An analysis of circulation center locatability with each resolution wind field is performed. Center fixes with enhanced resolution winds are nearer the National Hurricane Center best-track positions than are standard resolution center fixes. A data and image set of every tropical cyclone worldwide observed by Seawinds on QuikSCAT or SeaWinds on ADEOS II from 1999 through 2005 is generated and made available to the scientific community at http://scp.byu.edu.
Degree
MS
College and Department
Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rights
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Halterman, Richard Ryan, "Observation and Tracking of Tropical Cyclones Using Resolution Enhanced Scatterometry" (2006). Theses and Dissertations. 1062.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/1062
Date Submitted
2006-12-11
Document Type
Thesis
Handle
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd1667
Keywords
scatterometry, ocean vector winds, resolution enhancement, QuikSCAT, SeaWinds, tropical cyclones, hurricanes
Language
English