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Wilheit, T. T., Jr.

Publications and source records attributed to Wilheit, T. T., Jr..

9 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Aircraft and satellite passive microwave observations of the Bering Sea ice cover during MIZEX West

Passive microwave measurements of the Bering Sea were made with the NASA CV-990 airborne laboratory during February. Microwave data were obtained with imaging and dual-polarized, fixed-beam radiometers in a range of frequencies from 10 to 183 GHz. The high resolution imagery at 92 GHz provides a particularly good description of the marginal ice zone delineating regions of open water, ice compactness, and ice-edge structure. Analysis of the fixed-beam data shows that spectral differences increase with a decrease in ice thickness. Polarization at 18 and 37 GHz distinguishes among new, young, and first-year ice types.

Cavalieri, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Retrieval of ocean surface parameters from the scanning multifrequency microwave radiometer (SMMR) on the Nimbus-7 satellite

Sea-surface temperature retrievals have been tested on 2 months of Nimbus-7 scanning multichannel microwave radiometer data. Using the prelaunch versions of the instrument calibration and geophysical parameter retrieval algorithms the initial results were poor. Improved algorithms produced substantially better results. It appears that at least for the night-Southern Hemisphere portion of the Nimbus-7 orbit, a rms measurement accuracy of 1.45 C has been achieved. Similar tests with wind speed retrievals yield an accuracy of 2.7 m/s rms with no substantial differences between day and night measurements but limited by availability of surface observations to the Northern Hemisphere. Moreover, it appears that the retrieved wind speed is more nearly related to the square of the wind observed at the surface than to the wind itself.

Wilheit, T. T., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Observations of oceanic surface-wind fields from the Nimbus-7 microwave radiometer

Brightness temperatures from the five-frequency dual-polarized scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) on Nimbus 7 have been used to obtain surface wind fields over the ocean. The satellite-derived wind field for 1200Z, Feb. 19, 1979, in the eastern North Pacific has been compared with an operationally generated surface-wind analysis field. Previous point comparisons at selected locations have indicated that satellite winds are accurate to 3 m/sec. The results, although of a preliminary nature, indicate that SMMR-derived winds may be used to determine large-scale wind fields over the ocean, particularly in areas of strong wind gradients such as found in cyclonic systems.

Miller, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

A model for the microwave emissivity of the ocean's surface as a function of wind speed

A quantitative model is presented, which describes the ocean surface as an ensemble of flat facets with a normal distribution of slopes. The variance of the slope distribution is linearly related to frequency up to 35 GHz and constant at higher frequencies. These facets are partially covered with an absorbing nonpolarized foam layer. Experimental evidence is presented for this model.

Wilheit, T. T., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1978

A review of applications of microwave radiometry to oceanography

Following a review of the essential physics of microwave radiative transfer, oceanographic applications of this background physics are discussed using data from electrically scanning microwave radiometers on the Nimbus 5 and 6 satellites operating at 1.55-cm and 8-mm wavelengths, respectively. These data are interpreted in terms of rain rate, ice coverage, and first-year versus multiyear ice determination. It is shown that multifrequency radiometer measurements make it possible to separate the surface and atmospheric effects and to obtain useful measurements of sea surface temperature, surface wind speed, and atmospheric parameters along with improved measurements of rain and ice.

Wilheit, T. T., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1977

A review of applications of microwave radiometry to oceanography

The emissivity of sea ice and atmospheric precipitation was investigated. Using the above physics, the data from the Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometers (ESMR's) on the Nimbus-5 and Nimbus-6 satellites operating at wavelengths of 1.55 cm and 8mm, respectively, can be interpreted in terms of rain rate, ice coverage, and first year versus multi-year ice determination. The rain rate data is being used to establish a climatology of rainfall over the oceans. Both ice and rain data sets have been generated for the Global Atmospheric Research Project Data Systems Test.

Wilheit, T. T., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Microwave radiometric determination of wind speed at the surface of the ocean during BESEX

Microwave radiometric measurements were made at wavelengths ranging from 0.8 to 2.8 cm at altitudes from 0.16 to 11 km under well documented meteorological conditions over the Bering Sea. It is shown that determinations of wind speed at the ocean surface and liquid water content of the clouds may be made from such data. Determinations were made from two simultaneous but independent sets of radiometric measurements. The wind speeds and liquid water contents made from these two sets showed remarkable agreement. Independent estimates of these parameters made from in situ measurements showed reasonable agreement as well.

Wilheit, T. T., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Radiative transfer in a plane stratified dielectric

A model is developed for calculating radiative transfer in a stratified dielectric. This model is used to show that the reflectivity of a stratified dielectric is primarily determined by gradients in the real part of the refractive index over distances on the order of 1/10 wavelength in the medium. The effective temperature of the medium is determined by the thermodynamic temperature profile over distances of the order delta T.

Wilheit, T. T., Jr.↗