Exploring convection-circulation interactions with satellite winds

Satellite scatterometers provide a global record of surface wind observations that has proved invaluable for climate research and weather forecasting. However, scatterometer observations are largely lacking in rainy areas, as rain drops alter the sea state and transmission of the microwave signal; this rain contaminaion remains an obstacle for studying the interaction between convection and circulation. Here we use a novel technique to circumvent rain contamination, and use the extracted signals to illuminate processes ranging from interannual to diurnal time scales.