Making waves

 

Satellite signals may be used to monitor weather at sea.

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Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) and the University of Surrey has succeeded – for the first time – in capturing a signal from the Galileo satellite in orbit as it bounces off the surface of the ocean.

The experiment in GPS Reflectometry demonstrates the potential of remote sensing satellites in monitoring sea weather.

The experiments, which began onboard SSTL’s UK-DMC satellite in 2003, used a pioneering technique called ‘bistatic radar’ or ‘forward scatterometry’ to detect the roughness of an ocean.

GPS Reflectometry in action

According to Dr Martin Unwin, head of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) / GPS team at SSTL: “This is an important achievement in remote sensing and demonstrates the potential offered by Galileo for scientific purposes. A constellation of small satellites could be deployed at low cost to take measurements over the oceans where there are large gaps in forecast knowledge at present. An improved measurement system in space could be used to warn mariners of storms and to provide data for global climate change models - potentially even to detect Tsunamis.”

In theory, GPS Reflectometry has been of interest to engineers and scientists for a while, as it had the potential to provide a cost effective means of remote sensing.

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