Scatterometer
D5. Coastal processes, sea-level, cryosphere and ocean observation scienceDefinition
Microwave radar measuring backscatter to retrieve surface winds.
A scatterometer is a microwave radar that measures how much energy the roughened sea surface backscatters, from which surface wind speed and direction are retrieved, because wind-driven capillary waves change the radar return. QuikSCAT, ASCAT on the MetOp satellites, and the China-France CFOSAT have built a multi-decade ocean-wind record used in weather forecasting, air-sea flux estimates, and tropical-cyclone monitoring. It complements buoy winds with global, all-weather coverage that visible sensors cannot match.