NOC GNSS-R Global Ocean Wind Speed and Sea-Ice Products

Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) is an innovative and rapidly developing approach to Earth Observation that makes use of signals of opportunity from Global Navigation Satellite Systems, which have been reflected off the Earth’s surface. Using GNSS-R data collected by the UK TechDemoSat-1 (TDS-1) between 2014 and 2018, the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has developed a GNSS-R wind speed retrieval algorithm called the Calibrated Bistatic Radar Equation (C-BRE), which now features updated data quality control mechanisms including flagging of radio frequency interference (RFI) and sea-ice detection based on the GNSS-R waveform. Here we present an assessment of the performance of the latest NOC GNSS-R ocean wind speed and sea-ice products (NOC C-BRE v1.0) using validation data from the ECMWF ERA-5 re-analysis model output. Results show the capability of spaceborne GNSS-R sensors for accurate wind speed retrieval and sea-ice detection. Additionally, ground-processed Galileo returns collected by TDS-1 are examined and the geophysical sensitivity of reflected Galileo data to surface parameters is investigated. Preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of spaceborne GNSS-R instruments receiving a combination of GNSS signals transmitted by multiple navigation systems, which offers the opportunity for frequent, high-quality ocean wind and sea-ice retrievals at low relative cost. Other advancements in GNSS-R technology are represented by future mission concepts such as HydroGNSS, a proposed ESA Scout mission opportunity by SSTL offering support for enhanced retrieval capabilities exploiting dual polarisation, dual frequency, and coherent reflected signal reception.