A Monte Carlo Emissivity Model for Wind-Roughened Sea Surface

Area of Science:

• Remote Sensing
• Oceanography
• Radiative Transfer

Background:

• Sea surface emissivity (SSE) is vital for sea surface temperature (SST) and radiation budget calculations.
• Accurate and computationally efficient SSE models are needed for climate and oceanographic studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a Monte Carlo ray-tracing model for computing SSE on wind-roughened sea surfaces.
• To ensure adequate accuracy and computational efficiency in SSE modeling.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a two-dimensional continuous surface model.
• Averaged two polarization components before ray-tracing for efficiency.
• Incorporated direct emission and reflected components in emissivity calculations.

Main Results:

• The model demonstrates acceptable computational efficiency.
• The reflected component contributes significantly to effective emissivity at higher emission angles (0.035 at 80°).
• Validation with field data shows bias < 0.5% for view angles < 65°, ensuring SST retrieval accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The developed Monte Carlo model accurately computes SSE for wind-roughened surfaces.
• The model's accuracy is sufficient for reliable SST retrieval up to 65° view angles.
• Model performance degrades at higher view angles, particularly near 85°.