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X-band microwave backscattering from ocean waves [electronic resource].

Published
Washington, D.C. : United States. Dept. of Defense, 1994.
Oak Ridge, Tenn. : Distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy.
Physical Description
53 pages : digital, PDF file
Additional Creators
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, United States. Department of Defense, and United States. Department of Energy. Office of Scientific and Technical Information
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Summary
Backscattering experiments at microwave frequencies were conducted off the west coast of Scotland in the summer of 1991. Using a dual-polarization, 8-frequency X-band coherent scatterometer mounted on the bow of a boat, we measured time-resolved backscattering from ocean waves at a range of grazing angles from 10° to 70°. From the grazing-angle-dependent signals and their Doppler spectra, we differentiate Bragg scattering from non-Bragg scattering and resolve ``peak separation`` between the vertical and horizontal polarizations. We observe instances of ``super`` events, i.e., instances when the horizontal polarization return power equals or exceeds the vertical polarization power. We find that ``super`` events occur not only at low grazing angles but at any grazing angle for against-wind viewing directions. Statistics for such occurrences as a function of grazing angle are obtained. We study the coherence properties of scatterers and find strong evidence that at low grazing angles, lifetime-dominated, non-Bragg scattering contributes noticeably to returns of both polarizations, but is dominant in providing returns for the horizontal polarization. We examine ``spiking`` events and find that they can be related to, but need not be limited to, breaking wave events. By comparing the data of against-wind runs with cross-wind and circle runs, we obtain wind-direction dependence of Doppler spectra which further assists in the identification of scattering mechanisms.
Report Numbers
E 1.99:ucrl-cr--117680
E 1.99: conf-940814--3
conf-940814--3
ucrl-cr--117680
Subject(s)
Other Subject(s)
Note
Published through SciTech Connect.
01/04/1994.
"ucrl-cr--117680"
" conf-940814--3"
"DE94016719"
IGARSS `94: international geoscience and remote sensing symposium,Pasadena, CA (United States),8-12 Aug 1994.
Lee, P.H.Y.; Barter, J.D.; Beach, K.L.
Funding Information
W-7405-ENG-48
View MARC record | catkey: 14142629