Scatterometer Cross-Calibration Using Antarctica as a Calibration Target

Current and past scatterometers provide useful measurements of vector winds, vegetation, and ice that span multiple decades, with measurements collected at Ku-, C-, and most recently, L-band. To support long-term climate studies cross-calibration of the sensors is important. The multiple frequency bands complicate intersensor calibration. Using a simple scattering model, we evaluate the use of wind glazed regions in Antarctica as a transfer standard to cross-calibrate backscatter from the various sensors in the scatterometer dataset. We characterize the consistency of the data from the wind glaze region and propose a combined surface and volume scattering model for determining the calibration offset. We evaluate the sensitivity of the model in its current state with respect to those parameters.