DOI: 10.5176/2251-189X_SEES15.17
Authors: Mussie Seyoum Naizghi, Prashanth Reddy Marpu and Taha BMJ Ouarda
Abstract:
The objective of the current study is to make preliminary examination of the potential of using remotely sensed wind speed measurements over sea surface to estimate the wind speed over land closer to the coast and on small islands. The work is carried out with the measurements recorded over the Arabian Gulf in general and specifically around the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Two satellite scatterometers (QuikSCAT and ASCAT) and two metrological ground stations (Sir Bani Yas Island and Al Mirfa) are considered. Comparisons of the wind speed from the scatterometers (satellites) and the co-located in time anemometer ground stations were made. It was found that satellite scatterometers could give fairly reasonable in-situ wind speed measurements with a correlation coefficient ranging between 0.7 and 0.8, RMSE of less than 1.5 m/s for ASCAT and 1.9 m/s for QuikSCAT with an associated bias of less than 0.7 m/s and 1.1 m/s respectively. As a result of its proximity-to-land measuring capability and improved technology, ASCAT provided comparatively better result than QuikSCAT. In this regard, scatterometer data especially that of ASCAT could sufficiently address the lack of wind speed data on the near-shore and island areas of the Gulf.
Keywords: wind speed; scatterometer; QuikSCAT; ASCAT; Arabian Gulf; United Arab Emirates
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