Monte-Carlo simulation studies of the nonlinear imaging of a two dimensional surface wave field by a synthetic aperture radar

The imaging of ocean surface waves by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is investigated using two-dimensional Monte-Carlo simulations. The properties of the SAR imaging mechanism for windseas and swell in the Bragg scattering regime are discussed as a function of a few governing non-dimensional parameters formed from a combination of SAR and ocean wave parameters. The parameter ranges may be classified into three regimes corresponding to linear and weakly nonlinear, medium nonlinear and strongly nonlinear imaging. The nonlinearities are induced by motion effects (velocity bunching, velocity spread and acceleration smearing), while the real aperture radar (RAR) tilt and hydrodynamic modulation processes are regarded as linear. In the strongly nonlinear imaging regime, the velocity bunching mechanism causes a rotation of the spectral peak towards the range direction and a stretching of the peak wavelength. In addition, the azimuthal resolution is degraded through the Doppler spreading arising from the different facet velocities within a SAR resolution cell. The imaging properties in this regime are largely governed by two non-dimensional parameters, the velocity bunching and velocity smearing parameter. The nonlinear imaging distortions are strongest for broad spectra (windseas) and are significantly weaker for narrow-band swell. In the linear and weakly nonlinear imaging regime, the superposition of the hydrodynamic and tilt cross-section modulation and the velocity bunching transfer function normally produces a rotation of the spectral peak towards the azimuthal direction. The interference characteristics of these different modulation mechanisms depends on the wave propagation direction and can lead to a significant distortion of the image. This is often seen in large differences in the image modulation depths of waves propagating parallel and anti-parallel to the flight direction