U.S. Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/OFA/AGFS/AMD -- OFA51, 1305 East West Highway -- Station 7604, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

A -- SERVICE ON THE STUDY OF OCEAN SURFACE BACKSCATTER SOL OO-384 DUE 061300 POC Lawrence B. Frazier (301) 713-0851, Vivian Smith (301) 713-0853 E-MAIL: Click here to reach Vivian K. Smith, Vivian.K.Smith@agf.noaa.gov. The U.S. Department of Commerce/NOAA/NESDIS/ORA/ORAD intends to procure on a sole source basis from the University of Massachusetts to provide service on the study of Ocean surface backscatter in the presence of precipitation and high wind speeds. Contractor will compile C-band and Ku-band scatterometer aircraft data already collected during hurricane research flights and QuikSCAT cal/val flights aboard the NOAA P-3. This will include all available in situ data, such as buoy reports and dropsonde measurements. Contractor will compare aircraft scatterometer wind retrieval performance against current operational wind retrieval algorithms, and analyze sensitivity of aircraft measured backscatter to wind speed. Contractor will develop and evaluate a preliminary opera- tional ocean surface wind retrieval algorithm with improved high wind speed retrieval performance. Contractor will design and develop a next generation data acquisition system for CSCAT and KUSCAT capable of recording volume backscatter from precipitation and ocean surface backscatter. This new data acquisition system will be used in future aircraft-based experiments aimed at providing independent measure- ments to further validate and test the algorithms developed under this work. The task will involve working on-site at the NOAA Science Center in Camp Springs, MD. and at AOML/Hurricane Research Division in Miami, FL. This is a notice of intent. No solicitation document is available. Award will be made under simplified acquisition procedures. 00-384(VKS). Posted 05/30/00 (W-SN459620). (0151)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0004 20000601\A-0004.SOL)