Modification of SAR spectra associated with surface wind fields in the sea off the Kii Peninsula: A case study

Using surface wave parameters and a high-resolution surface wind field derived from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image mode data, we have investigated the spatial modification of SAR spectra. We found a surface wind front, formed by sheltering effect of the Kii Mountains, separating high and low wind-speed regions in a sea area of an European Remote-Sensing Satellite (ERS) SAR image off the Kii Peninsula. A swell system propagating westward dominates in the whole sea area covered by the SAR image. The wavelength retrieved from the SAR spectra in the sheltered (non-sheltered) region is longer (shorter). Since the distributions of surface wave parameters and surface wind speed are so well correlated, it can be considered that the SAR spectra are modified differently by the sheltered/non-sheltered surface winds. In order to examine the phenomena observed on the SAR image we have estimated the wind-wave SAR spectrum using the SAR surface winds, a wind-wave spectrum model and a SAR wave imaging model. We assume that the SAR spectrum related to the swell is homogeneous in the area imaged by SAR, and that the SAR spectrum of the wind-wave components causes the observed SAR spectra modification. Differences between the observed SAR spectra and the estimated SAR spectra in the sheltered and non-sheltered regions agree well with each other. In the present case, it can be concluded that the observed SAR spectra can be regarded as a linear combination of the wind-wave SAR spectra and the swell SAR spectra.     

Broad-band frequency and incident-angle dependence of bottombackscattering on Browns Bank

A two-scale roughness model for bottom backscattering (Novarini and Caruthers) was applied to multibeam sounder data (95 kHz) from Browns Bank (south of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada). In order to better understand frequency and incident angle dependence of backscattering, acoustic-calibration data (1-6 kHz) were collected from the same area and treated with the same model. The frequency and incident angle dependence of bottom backscattering in the multibeam and acoustic-calibration data were compared. Backscattering due to large-scale roughness was most relevant at near-normal incidence (<7°) and it was more dominant in the low-frequency range, and was strongly dependent on incident angle. Volume scattering was least dependent upon incident angle. It was the dominant factor at the large incident angle. Bragg scattering was the most significant over a very wide frequency range and was more important for high frequency (>5 kHz) and small incidence, but not near-normal incidence     

风浪和涌浪分离方法的比较

海浪通常以风浪和涌浪混合的形式存在。文中利用模型试验和实测资料,对目前提出的一种二维谱风涌浪分离方法(2D法)和3种一维谱风涌浪分离方法(PM法、WH法、JP法)进行了检验,分析发现:2D法给出的结果整体而言最为可靠,与2D法相比,PM法明显高估了风浪成分,WH法低风速时高估了风浪,高风速时跟2D法比较接近,而JP法在整体上高估了风浪成分。通过调整分割频率的比例系数,改进了PM法,改进后的PM法给出的分离结果与2D法最为一致。     

Estimation of Rapidly Time-Varying Sparse Channels

The estimation of sparse shallow-water acoustic communication channels and the impact of estimation performance on the equalization of phase coherent communication signals are investigated. Given sufficiently wide transmission bandwidth, the impulse response of the shallow-water acoustic channel is often sparse as the multipath arrivals become resolvable. In the presence of significant surface waves, the multipath arrivals associated with surface scattering fluctuate rapidly over time, in the sense that the complex gain, the arrival time, and the Dopplers of each arrival all change dynamically. A sparse channel estimation technique is developed based on the delay-Doppler-spread function representation of the channel. The delay-Doppler-spread function may be considered as a first-order approximation to the rapidly time-varying channel in which each channel component is associated with Doppler shifts that are assumed constant over an averaging interval. The sparse structure of the delay-Doppler-spread function is then exploited by sequentially choosing the dominant components that minimize a least squares error. The advantage of this approach is that it captures both the channel structure as well as its dynamics without the need of explicit dynamic channel modeling. As the symbols are populated with the sample Dopplers, the increase in complexity depends on the channel Doppler spread and can be significant for a severely Doppler-spread channel. Comparison is made between nonsparse recursive least squares (RLS) channel estimation, sparse channel impulse response estimation, and estimation using the proposed approach. The results are demonstrated using experimental data. In training mode, the proposed approach shows a 3-dB reduction in signal prediction error. In decision-directed mode, it improves significantly the robustness of the performance of the channel-estimate-based equalizer against rapid channel fluctuations.     

Studies of backscattered sea return with a CW, dual-frequency,X-band radar

A coherent, CW, dual-frequency,X-band radar was used to study microwave sea return from the Chesapeake Bay. It is shown that the product of the backseattered fields depends strongly on long surface wave properties. In particular, a sharp line is found in the product power spectrum whose frequency is that of the water wave whose wavelength is in resonance with the spatial period of the beat frequency between the two transmitted signals and whose wave vector is parallel to the horizontal line of sight. Thus, gravity wave dispersion relations can be obtained with the system. Furthermore, the degree of modulation of short waves by long ones is given by the intensity of the line. A broad background corresponding to the convolution of the single-frequency Doppler spectra is also seen in the product power spectrum. These results are shown to be interpretable by composite surface scattering theory.     

Sea-surface roughness length fluctuating in concert with wind and waves

When the nondimensional aerodynamic roughness parameter for the sea surface (gz ₀/u _* ²,g being the acceleration of gravity,u _* the air friction velocity) is plotted as a function of the wave age, the data points in the diagram are distributed mostly in a triangle area between the Charnock formula and the Toba-Koga formula; the nondimensional roughness perameter is not expressed as a unique function of the wave age, but rather there seem to be multiple regimes. In order to investigate the cause of the data point scattering, a reanalysis was made of the 4.5-hour time series of the wind profile and wind-wave statistics which were obtained at an oceanographic tower station under the conditions of a winter monsoon wind having slightly fluctuating speed and steadily growing wind waves.It is concluded that the averaged variation ofz ₀ is given by the Toba-Koga formula with a constant of value 0.015. However, as a result of the wind fluctuation on the time scales ranging from several minutes to an hour, data points show a conspicuous fluctuation on the nondimensional roughness parameter-wave age diagram in the direction transverse to the averaged variation. The variation inz ₀ directly reflects the degree of over- or under-saturation in the high-frequency range of the wind-wave spectra. Physical interpretation of these variations is also presented.     

基于相参X-波段海洋雷达的海表轮廓测量研究

X-波段海洋雷达测量所得海面散射单元的多普勒信息与散射单元的雷达视向速度密切相关。首先,基于符号多普勒估计方法,对X-波段雷达海面回波的多普勒频移信息进行了估计;在此基础上,应用各分辨单元回波的多普勒频移信息,建立了海浪表面轮廓的反演算法。该算法中,同时考虑了雷达入射角、方位角和雷达空间分辨率等因素对反演结果的影响。通过将反演结果与浮标测量数据相比较,发现雷达空间分辨率起到了类似低通滤波的作用,该作用对短重力波谱影响显著。同时,还应用加拿大麦克马斯特大学的IPIX雷达数据对海表轮廓进行了反演,并将反演所得有效波高、海浪周期与现场测量数据进行了比较,反演结果与现场测量结果吻合较好。     

Approximation of near-resonant wave motion using a damped harmonic oscillator model

In this work, transient resonant motions excited in linearised scattering interactions are approximated using a simple damped harmonic oscillator model. The scattering interactions considered involve the diffraction of an incident wave-train with a dominant regular time-harmonic component by structures which enclose a portion of the free surface. Provided a single resonant mode only is excited significantly, the fluid oscillation in the vicinity of the structure will primarily be composed of the resonant mode and incident wave mode contributions. The forced damped harmonic oscillator equation is used to predict the fluid motion and, in particular, the elevation of the internal free surface. The predictions are compared to the results from a numerical time-domain solver based on the linearised water-wave equations. It is shown that, given a good estimate of the location of the resonance in the complex frequency plane and a priori knowledge of the form of the incident wave, the model can successfully predict the time-dependent behaviour of the motion. Both two- and three-dimensional scattering problems are considered with a variety of scatterers in each case.     

Retrieval of surface wave parameters from sar images and their validation in the coastal seas around Japan

We have developed a scheme to retrieve surface wave parameters (wave height and wave propagation direction) from European Remote-Sensing Satellite (ERS) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image mode data in coastal seas around Japanese coastlines. SAR spectra are converted to surface wave spectra of swell-dominated or wind-wave dominated cases. The SAR spectrum and SAR-derived wind speed are used to derive the surface wave spectrum. The wind-wave dominated case and swell-dominated case are differentiated by a wind speed of 6 m/s, and processed in different ways because of their different degree of nonlinearity. It is indicated that the cutoff wavelength for retrieval of the wind-wave dominated spectrum is proportional to the root of significant wave height, which is consistent with the results of previous studies. We generated 66 match-ups using the SAR sub-images and the in-situ surface wave parameters, which were measured by wave gauges installed in near-shore seas. Among them, there are 57 swell-dominated cases, and 9 wind-wave dominated cases. The significant wave heights derived from SAR and from in-situ observation agree with the bias of 0.09 m, the standard deviation of 0.61 m and the correlation coefficient of 0.78. The averaged absolute deviation of wave propagation directions is 18.4°, and the trend of the agreement does not depend on the wave height. These results demonstrate that the SAR surface wave spectrum retrieved by the present system can be used to observe the surface wave field in the coastal seas around Japan.     

A comparison of perturbation theory and the small-slope approximation for acoustic scattering from a rough interface for a Biot medium

In this paper, the lowest order small-slope approximation (SSA) scattering cross section for Biot theory is derived. Numerical results are obtained for both backscattering and bistatic scattering using a modified power law spectrum, and these results are compared with those of lowest order perturbation theory (PT). Frequencies ranging from 100 Hz to 3 kHz are used for surfaces with RMS heights h of 0.1 and 1 m and a correlation length l of 10 m. The angle of incidence for the bistatic results is limited to 45/spl deg/. It is found that for the smaller surface height roughness (h = 0.1 m), the SSA and PT give the same results for frequencies up to almost 1 kHz for both backscattering and bistatic scattering. For h = 1 m, the SSA and PT backscatter results are in good agreement at all frequencies for incident grazing angles up to approximately 45/spl deg/. For the bistatic results, the SSA and PT results agree only at low grazing angles of scatter. In the specular region, the results differ significantly.     

An FDTD method for analysis of scattering from rough fluid-fluidinterfaces

A finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for scattering by one-dimensional, rough fluid-fluid interfaces is presented, modifications to the traditional FDTD algorithm are implemented which yield greater accuracy at lower computational cost. These modifications include use of a conformal technique, in which the grid conforms locally to the interface, and a correction for the numerical dispersion inherent to the FDTD algorithm, Numerical results are presented for fluid-fluid cases modeling water-sediment interfaces. Two different roughness spectra, the single-scale Gaussian roughness spectrum and a multiscale modified power-law spectrum, are used. The Gaussian results are calculated as a function of the dimensionless parameters kh and kl, where k is the wavenumber in water, h is the rms surface height, and l is the surface correlation length. For the modified power-law spectrum, statistical parameters consistent with an insonification frequency of 7.5 kHz are used. Results are compared with those obtained using an integral equation technique both for scattering from single-surface realizations and for Monte Carlo averages of scattering from an ensemble of surface realizations. Scattering strengths are calculated as a function of scattering angle for an incident angle of 70° (20° grazing). The results agree well over all scattering angles for the cases examined     

A two-frequency hydroacoustic scatterometer for bubble scatteringinvestigations

High-frequency bubble layer scattering investigations require the measurement of the intensity of backscattered sound and the corresponding depth of the scatterers below the moving surface. Especially at high sea state conditions and high acoustic frequencies, bubbles acoustically mask the surface, i.e., the surface return cannot be detected. However, this environmental condition is the most interesting one in bubble scattering investigations and a reliable method is required to determine the range of the scatterers to the surface displacement. A method for the determination of the vertical profiling of acoustic scattering in the presence of bubbles at high sea state conditions is presented. It is based on the transmission of a low-frequency signal alternately to the high-frequency signal at which the scattering investigations are performed. The only information that is extracted from the low-frequency echo is the onset of the surface return. It is used to compute the true depth of scatterers at the high frequency. Experiments were conducted to determine the optimum low frequency at which the detection of the surface onset in the presence of a high bubble concentration is ensured. A screening ratio is defined to give a measure of the acoustic masking of the sea surface. It is depicted for an extreme wind condition (20 m/s) for the frequency range of 5-25 kHz and as a function of wind speed for 50 kHz measurements. Selected results of subsurface bubble scattering at 50 kHz from experiments under open sea conditions are presented for the wind speed regime from 9 to 22 m/s. Additionally, the two-frequency scatterometer is used to measure sea state characteristics simultaneously to the scattering investigations by remote sensing techniques     

一种分层海底反向散射模型

In order to predict the bottom backscattering strength more accurately, the stratified structure of the seafloor is considered. The seafloor is viewed as an elastic half-space basement covered by a fluid sediment layer with finite thickness. On the basis of calculating acoustic field in the water, the sediment layer, and the basement, four kinds of scattering mechanisms are taken into account, including roughness scattering from the water-sediment interface, volume scattering from the sediment layer, roughness scattering from the sediment-basement interface,and volume scattering from the basement. Then a backscattering model for a stratified seafloor applying to low frequency(0.1–10 kHz) is established. The simulation results show that the roughness scattering from the sediment-basement interface and the volume scattering from the basement are more prominent at relative low frequency(below 1.0 kHz). While with the increase of the frequency, the contribution of them to total bottom scattering gradually becomes weak. And the results ultimately approach to the predictions of the high-frequency(10–100 kHz) bottom scattering model. When the sound speed and attenuation of the shear wave in the basement gradually decrease, the prediction of the model tends to that of the full fluid model, which validates the backscattering model for the stratified seafloor in another aspect.     

240-kHz bistatic bottom scattering measurements in shallow water

High-frequency bistatic sediment scattering experiment was conducted in the shallow waters off the east coasts of Korea. Acoustic data were taken as a function of grazing angle (30°, 45°, and 60°), scattered angle (30°, 45°, and 60°), and bistatic (azimuthal) angle (0°, 60°, and 120°). Besides a flat bottom it was artificially raked so as to produce directional ripples. The measured scattering strengths for a flat bottom were compared to model predictions of D.R. Jackson et al. (1986). The surface reverberation component is seen to dominate over the volume scattering part at the frequency of 240 kHz. Compared to the flat bottom case, the scattering strengths for directional ripples showed lower and higher variation depending on the ripple's orientation     

Generation of spatial internal waves in a rotating ocean by moving non-stationary disturbances

In a general linear statement, the kinematic structure of spatial internal waves generated by a uniformly moving area of oscillating surface pressures in a continuously stratified ocean of constant depth is studied. The earth's rotation effects are considered. Possible types of ocean wave fields with a constant Brunt-Väisälä frequency are examined. The wave regimes for individual modes of internal and gyroscopic waves are classified on the basis of estimating the integrals asymptotically.Translated by V. Puchkin.     

An experimental study of the relations between bispectra and nonlinear apparent features of wind waves

To investigate the nonlinear properties of wind waves, experiments are carried out in a wind-wave flume with slope bottom at different wind speeds and fetches. Both the internal structure and apparent features of the nonlin-earity of wind waves are studied by using bispectral and statistical analysis of surface elevations. The relations between bispectra and nonlinear apparent characteristics of wind waves are established and confirmed.     

Radiophysical investigations of sea roughness (radiooceanography) at the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences

Experiments on the scattering of radio waves in the range 200 m to 3 cm from a rough sea surface are described. Amplitude, frequency, and space-time characteristics of scattered radio signals at different states of the sea surface are presented. It is shown that the problem of the short and medium wave scattering from the sea can be solved by the perturbance method. In this case the mechanism of scattering is of "resonant" character. The intensity of the backscatter signals is proportional to the density of the spatial spectrum on the half-length of the radio waves. The high frequency radio wave scattering is well described by a two-scale model of the scattering surface, "ripple on the large wave." The intensity of scattered radio signals is also proportional to the spectrum density of "ripples" whose length is approximately equal to half a radio wave. The effect of the large waves is to modulate the amplitude of a scattered radio signal and to broaden its frequency spectrum. Methods of solution of the reverse problem were considered. This allowed determination of parameters of sea roughness by characteristics of scattered radio signals. The principles of design of the corresponding equipment are described.