TY - JOUR
T1 - Ocean wave slope observations using radar backscatter and laser altimeters
AU - Vandemark, Douglas
AU - Chapron, B.
AU - Sun, J.
AU - Crescenti, G. H.
AU - Graber, H. C.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2004/12
Y1 - 2004/12
N2 - Combination of laser and radar aboard an aircraft is used to directly measure long gravity wave surface tilting simultaneously with nadir-viewing microwave backscatter from the sea surface. The presented dataset is extensive, encompassing varied wind conditions over coastal and open-ocean wave regimes. Laser-derived slope statistics and Ka-band (36 GHz) radar backscatter are detailed separately to document their respective variations versus near-surface wind speed. The slope statistics, measured for λ > 1-2 m, show good agreement with Cox and Munk's oil-slickened sea measurements. A notable exception is elevated distribution peakedness and an observed wind dependence in this likely proxy for nonlinear wave-wave interactions. Aircraft Ka-band radar data nearly mimic Ku-band satellite altimeter observations in their mean wind dependence. The present calibrated radar data, along with relevant observational and theoretical studies, suggest a large (-5 dB) bias in previous Ka-band results. Next, wave-diverse inland, coastal, and open-ocean observations are contrasted to show wind-independent long-wave slope variance changes of a factor of 2-3, always increasing as one heads to sea. Combined long-wave and radar data demonstrate that this long-wave tilt field variability is largely responsible for radar backscatter variations observed at a given wind speed, particularly at wind speeds below 5-7 m s-1. Results are consistent with, and provide quantititative support for, recent satellite altimeter studies eliciting signatures of long-wave impacts resident in the radar backscatter. Under a quasi-optical scattering assumption, the results illustrate long-wave control on the variance of the total mean square slope parameter due to changes in the directional long-wave spectrum, with high-wavenumbers being relatively unaffected in a mean sense. However, further analysis suggests that for winds above 7 m s-1 the high-wavenumber subrange also varies with change in the longer wave field slope and/or energy, the short gravity wave roughness being measurably greater for smoother seas.
AB - Combination of laser and radar aboard an aircraft is used to directly measure long gravity wave surface tilting simultaneously with nadir-viewing microwave backscatter from the sea surface. The presented dataset is extensive, encompassing varied wind conditions over coastal and open-ocean wave regimes. Laser-derived slope statistics and Ka-band (36 GHz) radar backscatter are detailed separately to document their respective variations versus near-surface wind speed. The slope statistics, measured for λ > 1-2 m, show good agreement with Cox and Munk's oil-slickened sea measurements. A notable exception is elevated distribution peakedness and an observed wind dependence in this likely proxy for nonlinear wave-wave interactions. Aircraft Ka-band radar data nearly mimic Ku-band satellite altimeter observations in their mean wind dependence. The present calibrated radar data, along with relevant observational and theoretical studies, suggest a large (-5 dB) bias in previous Ka-band results. Next, wave-diverse inland, coastal, and open-ocean observations are contrasted to show wind-independent long-wave slope variance changes of a factor of 2-3, always increasing as one heads to sea. Combined long-wave and radar data demonstrate that this long-wave tilt field variability is largely responsible for radar backscatter variations observed at a given wind speed, particularly at wind speeds below 5-7 m s-1. Results are consistent with, and provide quantititative support for, recent satellite altimeter studies eliciting signatures of long-wave impacts resident in the radar backscatter. Under a quasi-optical scattering assumption, the results illustrate long-wave control on the variance of the total mean square slope parameter due to changes in the directional long-wave spectrum, with high-wavenumbers being relatively unaffected in a mean sense. However, further analysis suggests that for winds above 7 m s-1 the high-wavenumber subrange also varies with change in the longer wave field slope and/or energy, the short gravity wave roughness being measurably greater for smoother seas.
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U2 - 10.1175/JPO2663.1
DO - 10.1175/JPO2663.1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:13644258451
VL - 34
SP - 2825
EP - 2842
JO - Journal of Physical Oceanography
JF - Journal of Physical Oceanography
SN - 0022-3670
IS - 12
ER -