Determination of sea surface wind speed for a fetch-limited sea using high frequency radar

Abstract

High frequency surface wave radars have been used to measure ocean surface parameters, among which wind speed is the most challenging to estimate. Existing wind methods are only applicable to fully-developed, unlimited fetch seas. Here, a method is proposed for determining wind speeds for a fetch-limited sea. By differentiating the second-order radar cross section, an expression is derived, relating wind speed and the second-order peak Doppler frequency. The algorithm was tested using simulated data and has produced promising results.