Anomalous wind estimates from the Seasat scatterometer

The Seasat-A Satellite Scatterometer (SASS) measured the radar backscatter intensity from the sea surface using a four-beam microwave antenna. Estimates of wind speed and direction derived from these data agree well with surface measurements made during the Joint Air-Sea Interaction experiment, but there are occasions (3 out of 23 satellite passes) when the results are anomalous. One such occasion when the satellite measurements differed substantially from those at the surface of the sea has been studied, and it has been concluded that the interpretation of the SASS measurements may have been vitiated by a mid-level convective system deep enough to produce thunderstorms and lightning.