Models of radar imaging of the ocean surface waves

A number of models which would explain ocean wave imagery taken with a synthetic aperture imaging radar are analyzed analytically and numerically. Actual radar imagery is used to support some conclusions. The models considered correspond to three sources of radar backscatter cross section modulation:tilt modulation, roughness variation, and the wave orbital velocity. The effect of the temporal changes of the surface structure, parametric interactions, and the resulting distortions are discussed.     

Airborne SAR observations of ocean surface waves penetratingfloating ice

The results are presented for a new and improved procedure for estimating the synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) image spectrum of ocean waves. This procedure, the spectral-sum method, involves summing individual image spectra derived from each of the looks of a multilook set. An automatic registration of the per-look spectral information is achieved, accounting for subimage look misregistration due to the wave propagation between looks. Spectral-sum processing is compared with traditional look-sum processing as a function of the radar slant-range. Spectral-sum processing is applied to SAR imagery of waves penetrating the marginal ice zone     

On the mechanism for imaging ocean waves by synthetic aperture radar

Based on the analogies between spectral analysis of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, the two-frequency technique, and the technique of self-mixing of Doppler microwave backscatter for surfaces with periodically varying reflectivity, the SAR imaging of ocean waves is considered as a process of measuring correlation between the values of backscattered SAR radiation in different azimuthal positions of the platform. In this way a relatively simple explanation is given for the focusing effect and for the wave image contrast dependence on the integration time. Results of this approach are in agreement with those obtained in previous works by another (much more complex) manner: the wave image focus shift is proportional to half of the wave phase speed (the wave traveling along the line of flight), and the image contrast does not decrease with an increase the integration time.     

Synthetic aperture radar imaging of moving ocean waves

A theory for the radar imaging of ocean waves is presented under the assumptions that a swell propagates through an ensemble of Bragg scatterers and that the integration time of the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is small compared to the angular velocity of the swell. Results are prsented which show image development and distortions caused by the radial velocities and accelerations of the swell. Neglecting small wave bunching and tilts due to the longer underlying waves, and considering only one-dimensional geometries, the mechanism of wave motions are considered and their efforts on the production of the usual intensity Pattern representing the wave image are studied. The analysis shows that in certain situations a processed image can appear which has twice the spatial period of the actual long wave on the ocean, which can confuse the interpretation of ocean wave analysis.     

Synthetic aperture radar imagery of range traveling ocean waves

The imaging processes of range traveling waves are investigated by taking account of both the cross section and range bunching. The SAR transfer function and image modulation functions are defined to describe the relative importance and the coupling effects of the two contributions. It is shown that in low to moderate sea states, where the major variation in backscatter arises from local surface tilt, the image modulation by the cross section is enhanced by range bunching and the effect increases with increasing wave slope and also with decreasing look angle. For ocean waves in high sea states with a small variation in the cross section and steep wave slopes, range bunching may become an important mechanism for the interpretation of the images formed by SAR with small look angles     

Polarimetric radar remote sensing of ocean surface wind

Experimental data are presented to support the development of a new concept for ocean wind velocity measurement (speed and direction) with the polarimetric microwave radar technology. This new concept has strong potential for improving the wind direction accuracy and extending the useful swath width by up to 30% for follow-on NASA spaceborne scatterometer mission to SeaWinds series. The key issue is whether there is a relationship between the polarization state of ocean backscatter and surface wind velocity at NASA scatterometer frequencies (13 GHz). An airborne Ku-band polarimetric scatterometer (POLSCAT) was developed for proof-of-concept measurements. A set of aircraft flights indicated repeatable wind direction signals in the POLSCAT observations of sea surfaces at 9-11 m/s wind speed. The correlation coefficients between co- and cross-polarized radar response of ocean surfaces have a peak-to-peak amplitude of about 0.4 and are shown to have an odd-symmetry with respect to the wind direction, unlike the normalized radar cross sections     

Dual frequency correlation radar measurements of the height statistics of ocean waves

A radar technique has been developed for measuring the statistical height properties of a random rough surface. This method is being applied to the problem of measuring the significant wave height and probability density function of ocean waves from an aircraft or spacecraft. Earlier theoretical and laboratory results have been extended to define the requirements and performance limitations of flight systems. Some details of the current airborne radar system are discussed and results obtained on several experimental missions are presented and interpreted.     

Effects of foam on ocean surface microwave emission inferred from radiometric observations of reproducible breaking waves

WindSat, the first satellite polarimetric microwave radiometer, and the NPOESS Conical Microwave Imager/Sounder both have as a key objective the retrieval of the ocean surface wind vector from radiometric brightness temperatures. Available observations and models to date show that the wind direction signal is only 1-3 K peak-to-peak at 19 and 37 GHz, much smaller than the wind speed signal. In order to obtain sufficient accuracy for reliable wind direction retrieval, uncertainties in geophysical modeling of the sea surface emission on the order of 0.2 K need to be removed. The surface roughness spectrum has been addressed by many studies, but the azimuthal signature of the microwave emission from breaking waves and foam has not been adequately addressed. Recently, a number of experiments have been conducted to quantify the increase in sea surface microwave emission due to foam. Measurements from the Floating Instrumentation Platform indicated that the increase in ocean surface emission due to breaking waves may depend on the incidence and azimuth angles of observation. The need to quantify this dependence motivated systematic measurement of the microwave emission from reproducible breaking waves as a function of incidence and azimuth angles. A number of empirical parameterizations of whitecap coverage with wind speed were used to estimate the increase in brightness temperatures measured by a satellite microwave radiometer due to wave breaking in the field of view. These results provide the first empirically based parameterization with wind speed of the effect of breaking waves and foam on satellite brightness temperatures at 10.8, 19, and 37 GHz.     

Simulation of ocean waves imaging by an along-track interferometricsynthetic aperture radar

A two-dimensional (2D) model for describing the imaging of ocean waves by an along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar (AT-INSAR) is derived. It includes the modulation of the normalized radar cross section by the long waves, velocity bunching, and azimuthal image smear due to orbital acceleration associated with long waves and due to the orbital velocity spread within the AT-INSAR resolution cell (parameterized by the scene coherence time). By applying the Monte-Carlo method, AT-INSAR amplitude and phase image spectra are calculated for different sea states and radar configurations. The Monte-Carlo simulations show that velocity bunching affects the AT-INSAR imaging mechanism of ocean waves, and that a unimodal ocean wave spectrum may be mapped into a bimodal AT-INSAR phase image spectrum due to an interference between the velocity term and the velocity bunching term in the AT-INSAR imaging model. It is shown that the AT-INSAR imaging mechanism of ocean waves depends on the ratio of the scene coherence time and the time separation between the observations by the two antennas. If this ratio is larger than one, the AT-INSAR phase image spectra are distorted. Furthermore, the simulations show that the AT-INSAR phase image spectrum is quite insensitive to the ocean wave-radar modulation transfer function. Comparing AT-INSAR with conventional SAR imaging of ocean waves, the authors find that the azimuthal cut-off in AT-INSAR phase image spectra is shifted toward higher wavenumbers than in conventional SAR image spectra. This implies that AT-INSAR can resolve shorter azimuthal wavenumbers than conventional SAR. Thus the authors conclude that AT-INSAR phase images are better suited for measuring ocean waves spectra than conventional SAR images     

Ultrawide-band radar observations of multipath propagation over thesea surface

An ultrawide-band radar system centered at 10 GHz has been developed for sea-scatter research and was recently deployed on a research pier in the North Atlantic. The radar is based on a time-domain reflectometer module for a sampling oscilloscope. Using transient excitation of a traveling wave-tube amplifier, the system generates 200-ps wide pulses with a 10-GHz center frequency and a peak power of approximately 1 kW. The resulting range resolution is approximately 3 cm. The system was used to investigate low-grazing angle, multipath effects in the ocean environment using a trihedral corner reflector, mounted 45 cm above the water surface. The ultrahigh-range resolution of the system allows spatial separation of the direct and indirect echoes from the trihedral. In addition, a comparison of the indirect vertically- (VV) and horizontally-(HH) polarized echoes illustrates the effects of Brewster angle damping. The implications of these effects for sea-clutter statistics are briefly discussed     

The effect of orbital motions on synthetic aperture radar imagery of ocean waves

The formation of wave-like patterns in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of the ocean surface caused by orbital motions is investigated. Furthermore, the degradation in azimuthal resolution due to these motions is calculated by applying a least square fit to the phase history. Formulas are given which describe the variation of intensity in azimuthal direction in the image plane as well as the degradation in azimuthal resolution as a function of ocean wave amplitude, wave frequency, direction of wave propagation, and radar wavelength, incidence angle, and integration time.     

Resolution of a controversy surrounding the focusing mechanisms ofsynthetic aperture radar images of ocean waves

This paper addresses key problems regarding the focusing of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of ocean surface waves, explaining why applying a processor defocus will generally yield an enhanced image, why the same defocus applies to both image modulations brought about by the radar cross section and by the velocity bunching process, and why the effects apply to both single-look and multilook systems independently of look relocation. Two interpretations are given for the case when surface scatterers are stationary, but modulated in reflectivity (radar cross section) by a propagating wavefield. The first interpretation is what will be called a “degrade-and-shift” model. In it, a processor focusing adjustment degrades a point image. However, the overall image can be enhanced because an appropriate defocus results in a shifting of points in such a way that the image can most closely resemble the image of the time-invariant (or “frozen”) reflectivity. The second interpretation is a “defocus-and-refocus” model in which the image of a time-varying reflectivity is defocused and may be refocused to enhance the image. In justifying this “defocus-and-refocus” model, it is shown that the radar return from stationary scatterers of time-varying reflectivities is identical to that from physically moving scatterers of constant reflectivity. Thus, the two interpretations are not contradictory; they are, fundamentally, equivalent. The models support the use of a processor defocus corresponding to one half the wave phase velocity. Both qualitative and quantitative illustrations of the effects are given. Finally, it is shown that the same defocusing effect applies to image modulations brought about by the velocity bunching process     

On the theory of SAR ocean wave imaging

Ocean wave imaging with a high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is considered. It is noted that the imaging is mainly due to a variable number of the subimages of different ocean surface elements superimposed at each image plane point. This mechanism is nonlinear, in principle, acting on the ocean surface represented as a random process. SAR image spectra are calculated for representative values of ocean state and imaging geometry parameters     

Relation between the ringing of resonances and surface waves in radar scattering

The exact normal-mode or Mie series for electromagnetic scattering from a conducting sphere has in the previous literature been transformed via the Watson transformation into components corresponding to specularly reflected and to creeping waves, or via the singularity expansion method (SEM) into a series of pole contributions in the complex frequency plane which in the time domain give rise to a series of damped sinusoidal signals. In this work, the connection between the two methods is established by using the Watson transformation for obtaining the specular wave, and by transforming the remainder into the SEM series. From the latter, we obtain the shapes of creeping-wave pulses for the case of an incidentdelta-function pulse by evaluating the series via the stationary-phase method.     

Modulation of microwave radiance by internal waves: critical point modeling of ocean observations

Microwave polarimetric radiance measurements of the ocean surface have revealed some characteristic modulations in response to strong internal waves. This paper demonstrates that the major features of these modulations are all consistent with a model that evaluates the response of radiance to the modulation of surface roughness. This is a two-scale model that divides the spectrum of unresolved waves into a short and a long wavelength domain. The short wave "critical point" model, which evaluates resonant interactions occurring when the surface roughness scale and microwave wavelengths are comparable, is based on the solution of Gershenzon et al. (1986), to the simpler problem of determining the effect on the emissivity of a monochromatic wave propagating in direction /spl phi/ with respect to the incidence plane. The model of the response of radiance to the modulation of long unresolved waves uses the Kirchhoff approximation and Gaussian slope probability function. This second contribution to the radiance modulation is not significant with respect to the dominant features of the observations, but it could contribute to some of the more subtle features.     

On the cross spectrum between individual-look synthetic apertureradar images of ocean waves

Cross spectra of individual-look synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of the ocean surface are used to retrieve ocean wave spectra. A quasilinear transform is derived that relates ocean wave spectra to SAR image cross spectra. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulations are also carried out for those cases where quasilinear imaging does not apply. It is shown that, as the time separation between the individual-look SAR images increases (within a limit determined by the Doppler bandwidth of the original single-look complex SAR image), the spectral energy density of the imaginary part of the SAR image cross spectra increases, while the spectral energy density of the real part decreases. The integration time has a small effect on the SAR image cross spectra as long as the integration time is large compared to the scene coherence time. In order to retrieve ocean wave spectra from SAR data by using cross-spectral analysis techniques, the authors suggest calculating two SAR image cross spectra: one with a short time separation and one with a large one between the individual-look SAR images. The real part of the SAR image cross spectra calculated from individual-look SAR images with the short time separation is used for retrieving ocean wave spectra, which have a 180° ambiguity in wave propagation direction. The imaginary part of the SAR image cross spectra calculated from individual-look SAR images with the long time separation is used for removing this 180° ambiguity     

Experimental study of the surface waves on a dielectric cylindervia terahertz impulse radar ranging

Employing an ultrafast optoelectronic terahertz impulse radar range with subpicosecond resolution, we have characterized the electric-field time-domain response from an impulsively excited dielectric cylinder. The bandwidth of the measurement extends from 200 GHz to 1.4 THz and late time response is observed at times exceeding that to traverse 40 target radii at c. A physical optics (PO) model is employed to identify the different mechanisms of scattering for the temporally isolated signals. Through analysis of the first and second surface-wave signals it is determined that the surface wave has a propagation velocity of 0.91c and an effective index of refraction of n=1.10+0.073i. The first measurement of the coupling efficiency of this surface wave through the cylinder via an interior chord at the critical angle is performed along with the determination of the π/2 phase shift associated with the single axis caustic of this interior chord in the PO model     

Tutorial review of synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) with applications to imaging of the ocean surface

A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can produce high-resolution two-dimensional images of mapped areas. The SAR comprises a pulsed transmitter, an antenna, and a phase-coherent receiver. The SAR is borne by a constant velocity vehicle such as an aircraft or satellite, with the antenna beam axis oriented obliquely to the velocity vector. The image plane is defined by the velocity vector and antenna beam axis. The image orthogonal coordinates are range and cross range (azimuth). The amplitude and phase of the received signals are collected for the duration of an integration time after which the signal is processed. High range resolution is achieved by the use of wide bandwidth transmitted pulses. High azimuth resolution is achieved by focusing, with a signal processing technique, an extremely long antenna that is synthesized from the coherent phase history. The pulse repetition frequency of the SAR is constrained within bounds established by the geometry and signal ambiguity limits. SAR operation requires relative motion between radar and target. Nominal velocity values are assumed for signal processing and measurable deviations are used for error compensation. Residual uncertainties and high-order derivatives of the velocity which are difficult to compensate may cause image smearing, defocusing, and increased image sidelobes. The SAR transforms the ocean surface into numerous small cells, each with dimensions of range and azimuth resolution. An image of a cell can be produced provided the radar cross section of the cell is sufficiently large and the cell phase history is deterministic. Ocean waves evidently move sufficiently uniformly to produce SAR images which correlate well with optical photographs and visual observations. The relationship between SAR images and oceanic physical features is not completely understood, and more analyses and investigations are desired.     

A numerical study of the separation wavenumber in the two-scalescattering approximation [ocean surface radar backscatter]

The modeling of radar backscatter from the ocean uses the two-scale scattering approximation. This approximation assumes that the continuous spectrum of the ocean can be separated at some wavenumber into large- and small-scale surfaces, allowing use of physical optics and small perturbation methods. The authors investigate the choice of the separation wavenumber by comparing two-scale calculations and exact numerical calculations for a randomly rough surface with a power law spectrum     

激光相位测距原理应用于测波浪剖面的问题讨论

本文结合实验着重分析激光相位测距原理应用于测海洋波浪剖面的可能性和局限性.