Estimating wind speed from HF skywave radar sea backscatter

Linear expressions relating ocean surface wind speed to a theoretical estimate of the - 10 dB width of the high frequency (HF) sea echo Doppler spectrum (0.078 Hz Doppler shift frequency resolution) are derived for different radar frequencies. The -10 dB width, determined from theoretical model estimates of the Doppler spectrum as a function of radar frequency for a wide range of ocean wave conditions, changes in a complex way with the continuum of second-order echoes surrounding the stronger first-order echo. Because the amplitude of the second-order echoes is directly related to changes in the directional ocean wave spectrum, the wind speed estimates derived from these expressions are highly dependent on the wave field (both the total energy and its distribution with direction); significant differences in these expressions are also found, for example, between fetch-limited and fully developed seas, and for wind seas and swell. These expressions are extremely difficult to use experimentally to obtain reliable estimates of wind speed because a priori knowledge of the wave field is required to apply the correct expression, and yet this knowledge cannot be determined from the unresolved second-order structure at this spectral resolution. Several Doppler spectra recorded under known ocean wind and wave conditions illustrate the difficulty in applying these theoretical expressions to estimate wind speed. We conclude that the -10 dB width is not a good estimator of wind speed. Wind speed estimates are better obtained from HF radar spectra by first estimating the directional wind-wave spectrum from the second-order echoes (0.01 Hz Doppler shift frequency resolution) and then computing wind speed from a wind-wave prediction model.     

High-resolution mapping of oceanic wind fields with skywave radar

The direction of the mean surface wind field in the North Pacific Ocean was mapped on September 25 and 26, 1973, over an area of3 times 10^{6}(km)²by OTH-B HF radar. A spatial resolution of 60 km in range and 15 km in cross range was used at points spaced by 150 km in range and 80 km in cross range. Wind directions were inferred from the upwind/downwind first-order Bragg ratio and the measure of the maximum ratio occurring for radial winds at points near each observation.     

天波超视距雷达海杂波的混沌动态特性分析

利用替代数据法对实测回波信号进行非线性检验,Cao方法进行相空间重构、Rosenstein小数据量法计算最大Lyapunov指数、改进的格拉斯伯格-庞加莱算法(GPA)计算Kolmogorov熵以及局部可预测性检验研究了高频天波雷达(OTHR)海杂波的混沌动态特性。仿真计算表明:实测的高频天波雷达海杂波吸收子具有稳定收敛的关联维数、正的最大Lyapunov指数和正的Kolmogorov熵以及具有局部可预测的特性,验证了高频雷达海杂波确实来自于一个低维混沌系统。利用方差分析初步讨论了电离层对回波混沌特性的影响,研究表明:电离层将对回波混沌特性产生显著的影响。这些结论对高频雷达目标探测和海杂波建模研究都具有重要意义。     

Studies of the sea using HF radio scatter

Radio signals of decameter wavelength resonantly scattered from waves on the sea surface are used to measure precisely the wave. length, frequency, and direction of travel of those waves. These measurements are not only important in themselves, but are also used to deduce currents, winds, and perhaps wind stress at the sea surface. Techniques for obtaining these measurements, as well as experiments to evaluate these techniques are discussed. Finally, scatter has been used to produce the first high-resolution measurements of the directional distribution of large ocean waves, measurements of ocean surface currents at ranges of 20 km, and of surface winds at ranges of 3000 km.     

Short pulse radar used to measure sea surface wind speed and SWH

A joint airborne measurement program is being pursued by NRL and NASA Wallops Flight Center to determine the extent to which wind speed and sea surface significant wave height (SWH) can be measured quantitatively and remotely with a short pulse (2 ns), wide-beam (60deg), nadir-looking 3-cm radar. The concept involves relative power measurements only and does not need a scanning antenna, doppler filters, or absolute power calibration. The slopes of the leading and trailing edges of the averaged received power for the pulse limited altimeter are used to infer SWH and surface wind speed. The interpretation is based on theoretical models of the effects of SWH on the leading edge shape and rms sea-surface slope on the trailing, edge shape. The models include the radar system parameters of antenna beam width and pulsewidth. Preliminary experimental results look promising and indicate that it may be possible to design a relatively compact airborne radar to infer, in real-time, the sea surface SWH and surface wind speed.     

Mapping of North Atlantic winds by HF radar sea backscatter interpretation

This work presents preliminary results on attempts to map winds of a storm at long range (500 to 1000 nmi) over a large area (10^{5}mi²) in the North Atlantic from the U. S. Naval Research Laboratory, HF radar research facilities at Chesapeake Beach, Md. [1] It appears that the short time response of the sea surface to local winds can be mapped by the analysis of a matrix of range-azimuth records containing frequency power spectra of HF radar signals backscattered from the sea surface via the ionosphere. This paper presents such a map based upon the ratio of the strengths of the first-order contributions to the backscatter spectrum (the approach-recede first-order Bragg lines) and is compared qualitatively with a U. S. Weather Bureau map of the area.     

Statistical study of the spectral broadening of skywave signalsbackscattered by the sea surface: application to RMS wave heightmeasurement with a skywave radar

HF skywave signals backscattered by the sea surface are studied on a large set of data (more than 30 h of 64 independent signals) to identify the sources of the broadening of the first-order spectral line. Using high-quality signals reflected by sporadic E ionospheric layers, the natural broadening due to sea-scattering effects has been scaled to about 3/100 Hz. When the signals propagate via F layer, the total broadening due to ionospheric effects is similar in magnitude and can be attributed to two causes. The first, due to frequency modulation effects, which can be identified and corrected, scales on average to 1/100 Hz. The second, called unresolved ionospheric effects, scales on average to 2/100 Hz and is probably due to the spatial variation of the ionospheric Doppler within the ionospheric control volume. Since they are greatly variable with time and space, the influence of these unresolved ionospheric effects can be reduced by sorting spectra, according to the value of the equivalent spectral width, before averaging. Using such sorting and correcting the signals for the ionospheric frequency modulation, 70% of the considered set of data are usable to measure the root mean square (RMS) wave height     

First-order theory and analysis of MF/HF/VHF scatter from the sea

Scatter from the sea near grazing from MF through VHF is analyzed in this paper. Results based on the compensation theorem show that the dependence upon the grazing angles, as well as upon frequency, range, and the effective surface impedance, can be removed for vertical polarization as the familiar "Norton attenuation factors." Time variation of the surface is included, and results are derived for both the average received power and its spectral density. The first-order dispersion relationship for gravity waves is used to show that the received spectrum from a patch of sea consists of two discrete Doppler shifts above and below the carrier, predictable from simple Bragg diffraction considerations. Using the Phillips wind-wave model as an upper limit for wave heights, estimates forsigma^{0}(radar cross section per unit area) of - 17 dB are obtained near grazing. Both the magnitude ofsigma_{upsilonnu}^{0}predicted from theory and the nature of the received spectrum are compared with measurements, and the agreement supports the theory on both counts. Finally, the use of MF/HF radars for measuring sea state is suggested and discussed.     

Directional sea spectrum determination using HF Doppler radar techniques

Second-order features in HF radar Doppler spectral data are compared with a theoretical model of the radar spectrum. The model is the corner reflector double-scatter model which employs a more realistic directional sea spectrum model than those used in earlier works. It includes a frequency-dependent angular spreading function and assumes the existence of spectral energy over a full360degarising from an apparent second-order wave-wave interaction. Comparison is made with ground wave data collected at the NRL/NOAA/ITS San Clemente Island HF radar.     

Measurement of oceanic wind vector using satellite microwaveradiometers

The possibility of retrieving both wind speed and direction from microwave radiometer measurements of the ocean is studied using Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) measurements collocated with buoy reports from the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). A physically based algorithm is used to retrieve the wind speed. The RMS difference between the SSM/I and buoy wind speed is 1.6 m/s for 3321 comparisons. It is found that the SSM/I minus buoy wind speed difference is correlated with wind direction. When this wind direction signal is removed, the RMS difference between the SSM/I and buoy winds reduces to 1.3 m/s. The wind direction signal is used to make global, low-resolution maps of the monthly mean oceanic vector. The wind direction sensing capability of a prospective two-look satellite radiometer is also processed     

高频天波返回散射回波谱实验研究

用中国电波传播研究所高频天波返回散射探测站进行的我国首次陆地/海洋回波谱的实验研究,其中包括自行研制的实验设备,实验结果.介绍了获得海洋回波谱的信号处理方法,并由海洋回波Doppler谱计算了电离层状参数和风向、海流等海洋状态参数.     

An ultrawideband, polarimetric radar for the study of sea scatter

An ultrawideband radar system is described which has the capability of making pulse-to-pulse polarimetric measurements of the dynamic water features responsible for radar backscatter from the sea. The fast risetime voltage step produced by a Tektronix time-domain reflectometer (TDR) is used to excite a 6-12-GHz amplifier, producing a short (15 cm) radar pulse, A pair of 2- to 18-GHz antennas and appropriate pulse-to-pulse transmit and receive switching capability allows the collection of four consecutive equivalent-time-sampled pulses, one for each combination of the linear transmit and receive antenna polarizations. A polarimetric scattering matrix is then obtained at a sequence of frequencies across the 6-12-GHz band through the Fourier transform of each of the four waveforms and the application of an ultrawideband, polarimetric calibration procedure. The effect of motion on the computed scattering matrix is discussed and quantified, as this is an important consideration for polarimetric investigations of the water features responsible for radar sea scatter, A technique is then presented which compensates for the effects of target translation during the sampling interval. Scattering measurements of several rigid targets and of small breaking waves in a wave tank are used to illustrate the unique capabilities of this system and its applicability to sea scatter studies     

HF radar wave and wind measurement over the Eastern China Sea

High-frequency (HF) radar can be employed to measure sea surface state parameters such as waveheight, wind field, and surface current velocity. This paper describes the application of the HF ground wave radar in remote sensing the surface conditions over the Eastern China Sea in October 2000. The radar, referred to as the OSMAR2000, was developed by Wuhan University. Preliminary wave spectra, waveheights, and wind fields estimated from the collected data are presented and compared with ship-recorded measurements where such are available. The range for wind direction sensing is up to 200 km. Wave information and wind speed can be provided up to a range of 120 km. The mean difference between radar- and ship-measured significant waveheight is 0.323 m; wind direction is measured within 20/spl deg/; and wind speed to within 0.6 m/s. With such agreement being fairly reasonable, the feasibility of the inversion algorithm and the ocean state real-time sensing capability of OSMAR2000 are demonstrated.     

Studies of dual polarized low grazing angle radar sea scatter innearshore regions

Reports on experiments featuring horizontally (HH) and vertically (VV) polarized X-band marine radar sea scatter imagery in the coastal environments of Bermuda and La Jolla, under light to moderate winds and the absence of long gravity waves. These conditions allowed the study of fundamental scattering mechanisms from small scale roughness and short waves of a few meters wavelength or less, shorter than the radar pulse. While a large fraction of radar data collected revealed the presence of slick bands, the authors analyze the radar echo of ambient background outside of the slicks. Sea scatter data were digitally recorded for 360° azimuthal coverage for grazing angles between 1-3.5°, and were converted to normalized radar cross section (NRCS or σ°) images. The HH and VV polarizations show quite different spatial texture, with HH exhibiting a discrete character and VV being more nearly spatially homogeneous. Grazing angle dependencies are different for HH and VV: upwind-downwind differences of mean NRCS show ratios of just 4-6 dB for VV, but are equal or greater than the 16-dB noise-imposed limit for HH for the low wind conditions. HH NRCS grazing angle characteristics are shown to correlate with biological activity indicators of the coastal waters, with a fourth power dependence in relatively unproductive waters, to a nearly quadratic in productive waters. Arguments are presented that suggest different scattering mechanisms for the two polarizations: evenly distributed Bragg scatter patches for VV and scatter from small asymmetric bore features for HH. A multipath illumination model for small bore features is outlined, and scale sizes for the small scale breakers inferred from the experimental results presented are between 2 and 4 cm in height, with crest widths between 24 and 48 cm     

极区电离层加热能量吸收率的非相干散射测量

基于稳态电子能量和动量方程,结合2009年8月电离层加热实验中非相干散射雷达实测的电子密度、电子温度和离子温度对反射高度附近的电波能量吸收率进行了估算。根据计算结果,可得到显著的电波能量吸收率的空间分布结构,能量吸收基本呈近高斯分布,但结构在横向和纵向上并不沿能量吸收中心对称。0.6MHz附近,电波能量吸收率随频差变化的曲线存在锐边界,临界状态下时(两组加热机制的交界)才会取得最佳的加热效果,这对电波能量吸收率经验和半经验模型的建立有重要意义。     

波束倾斜修正在天波超视距雷达中的应用

为了修正天波超视距雷达由于波束倾斜引入的方位估值偏差,基于一维相扫雷达波束扫描的原理,分析和阐述了雷达波束倾斜产生的原因,并详细推导了天波超视距雷达波束倾斜修正量的解算过程.通过对典型的场景分析,结果表明:波束倾斜修正的效果取决于对到达波仰角的估计精度.     

The modeling and measurement of HF antenna skywave radiationpatterns in irregular terrain

The method of moments (MoM) was used in conjunction with the geometric theory of diffraction (GTD) for predicting the elevation-plane radiation patterns of simple high-frequency (HF) vertical monopoles and horizontal dipoles situated in irregular terrain. The three-dimensional terrain was approximated by seven connected flat plates that were very wide relative to the largest wavelength of interest. The plate length along the terrain profile was the longest possible that still adequately followed the shape of the path on the azimuth of the elevation pattern of interest and no shorter than 1 wavelength at the lowest frequency of interest. The MoM model was used to determine the antenna currents under the assumption that the terrain was planar (i.e., locally flat) over the distance pertinent to establishing the input impedance. The currents thus derived were used as inputs to the GTD model to determine the gain versus elevation angle of the antennas for HF skywave when situated in the irregular terrain. The surface wave solution for groundwave was not included since this does not appreciably contribute any effect to the skywave far-field patterns at HF in this case. The model predictions were made using perfect electric conducting (PEC) plates and using thin plates made of lossy dielectric material with the same conductivity and relative permittivity as measured for the soil. These computed results were compared with experimental elevation-plane pattern data obtained using a single-frequency helicopter-borne beacon transmitter towed on a long dielectric rope in the far field on a linear path directly over the antennas. The monopoles and dipoles were situated in front of, on top of, and behind a hill whose elevation above the flat surrounding terrain was about 45 m. The patterns of all of the antenna types and sitings exhibited diffraction effects caused by the irregular terrain, with the largest effects being observed at the highest measurement frequency (27 MHz)     

Theory and practice of ionosphere study by Thomson scatter radar

The application of Thomson (or incoherent) Scatter observations to the study of the earth's ionosphere is described. Those aspects of theory of Thomson Scatter that have been put to practical use in ionospheric investigations are reviewed briefly and the type of radar equipment constructed for these investigations is discussed. Methods of measuring electron density, electron and ion temperatures, and ionic composition are then reviewed. Other applications of the technique--to the study of the neutral density and temperature of the upper atmosphere, drift motions, the flux density of fast photoelectrons, and the orientation of the earth's magnetic field--are also described.     

Compressive sensing-based wind speed estimation for low-altitude wind-shear with airborne phased array radar

An important issue in low-altitude wind-shear detection is to estimate the wind speed of wind field. In this paper, a novel method for wind speed estimation with airborne phased array radar is proposed by combining space time adaptive processing and compressive sensing. The proposed method is able to achieve accurate wind speed estimate in the condition of limited number of sampling pulses, as demonstrated by numerical examples.