2015/06/26 by Christopher S. Ruf, Robert Atlas, Paul Chang +16 · 400 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Aerospace engineering #Environmental science #Geography #Geology #Meteorology #Ocean Waves and Remote Sensing #Rainband #Remote sensing #Satellite #Soil Moisture and Remote Sensing #Storm #Tropical and Extratropical Cyclones Research #Tropical cyclone
paper · pdf · doi:10.1175/bams-d-14-00218.1
published in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 97(3), 385-395 (American Meteorological Society)
openalex publication_date 2015/06/26 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Abstract The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) is a new NASA earth science mission scheduled to be launched in 2016 that focuses on tropical cyclones (TCs) and tropical convection. The mission’s two primary objectives are the measurement of ocean surface wind speed with sufficient temporal resolution to resolve short-time-scale processes such as the rapid intensification phase of TC development and the ability of the surface measurements to penetrate through the extremely high precipitation rates typically encountered in the TC inner core. The mission’s goal is to support significant improvements in our ability to forecast TC track, intensity, and storm surge through better observations and, ultimately, better understanding of inner-core processes. CYGNSS meets its temporal sampling objective by deploying a constellation of eight satellites. Its ability to see through heavy precipitation is enabled by its operation as a bistatic radar using low-frequency GPS signals. The mission will deploy an eight-spacecraft constellation in a low-inclination (35°) circular orbit to maximize coverage and sampling in the tropics. Each CYGNSS spacecraft carries a four-channel radar receiver that measures GPS navigation signals scattered by the ocean surface. The mission will measure inner-core surface winds with high temporal resolution and spatial coverage, under all precipitating conditions, and over the full dynamic range of TC wind speeds.