Polarimetric radiometer configurations: Potential accuracy and sensitivity

Ocean wind speed and direction can be assessed with a polarimetric radiomet er system measuring the full set of Stokes parameters. There are tmb fundam entally different ways of implementing the polarimetric radiometer system: polarization combining and correlation radiometer systems. Also, within eac h fundamental category there are significant tradeoffs, This paper discusse s the different implementation possibilities. Paramount issues are potentia l instrument stability and sensitivity as well as the tradeoff between incr eased microwave hardware complexity and fast digital correlator circuitry. It is concluded that each implementation has its role to play, but for a gi ven application the choice of system configuration is important. Following these considerations, a second-generation airborne, imaging, pola rimetric radiometer system, used by the authors for ocean wind vector sensi ng, is described and discussed.