LAUSR

An assessment of the ocean surface Level-1 normalized bistatic radar cross Section (BRCS) products provided by the two batch 1 “LEMUR-2” Global Navigation Satellite Systems Reflectometry (GNSS-R) receivers of Spire, Inc. is reported. The analysis uses datasets extending from DOY 345, 2020 to DOY 329, 2021. Initial assessments indicate a highly consistent overall interchannel response with mean normalized bistatic radar cross Section (NBRCS) differences estimated to be at the 1.00% level over a 7–12-m/s European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reference wind speed range. Efforts to validate the observation systems’ aggregate response relative to $\approx 3$ million colocated Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) measurements suggest a highly complementary behavior with an overall NBRCS correlation of 79.03% highlighting the potential utility of “LEMUR-2” measurements for ocean surface wind sensing and related applications. Nonphysical NBRCS dependencies on various Level-1 calibration variables, also observed with GNSS-R previous systems, are nonetheless noted and are explored in detail.