Doppler Spectra of Microwave Backscatter From Water Surface

This paper describes the experimental results of microwave backscattering at water surfaces. Active microwave remote sensing is one of the useful techniques for sea surface measurement. For example, it enables us to know the wind vector on global scale. A principle of measurement is that the microwave backscattering depends on the wind speed. Therefore understanding of the phenomena of microwave scattering at sea surface in detail is indispensable for improvement of measuring accuracy. The purpose of the research is to investigate the characteristics of microwave scattering at various water surface conditions. Water surface was generated by wind and currents, microwave backscattering at that surface was measured by X and C-band microwave scatterometer. The experimental results were summarized in scattering coefficients and Doppler spectra. X-band microwave was more sensitive at wind wave surface than C-band. The mean frequency of Doppler spectrum of backscattering microwave was corresponded to the phase velocity of the mean water surface wave and the bandwidth of Doppler spectrum had close relation to the orbital velocity of the mean wave. A current had no effect on the scattering coefficient, but the Doppler spectrum was shifted to the side corresponding to current direction.