Atmospheric effects on the wind retrieval performance of satellite radiometers

Atmospheric emission contributes to radiometer measurements meant to study the ocean surface. The relative importance of this contribution depends on the amount of water (vapor and liquid) in the air column, and on the frequency and polarization used. For vertical and horizontal polarization, the atmosphere contributes a significant bias to observed brightness temperatures. The U stokes parameter, however, is relatively insensitive to the atmosphere, and is therefore a more reliable measure of surface conditions.