============================================================

TOPEX/Poseidon: Perspectives on an Ocean Planet

- Wind Speed

============================================================
wind

In general, there is a high degree of correlation between wind speed and wave height. As a result, wind speed is determined from the strength of the return pulse of the radar altimeter. A calm sea is a good reflector and returns a strong pulse, whereas a rough sea tends to scatter the signal and return a weak pulse.

High wind speeds are represented in red. The highest winds generally occur in southern oceans, where winds over 15 meters per second can be found. The strongest waves are also generally found in this region. The weakest winds -- indicated by dark blue -- are found in the tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.