Onto a Skewness Approach to the Generalized Curvature Ocean Surface Scattering Model

Type Article
Date 2017-10
Language English
Author(s) Said Faozi1, Johnsen Harald2, Nouguier FredericORCID3, Chapron BertrandORCID3, Engen Geir2
Affiliation(s) 1 : NOAA, Ctr Satellite Applicat & Res, College Pk, MD 20740 USA.
2 : Norut, Earth Observat Dept, N-9294 Tromso, Norway.
3 : IFREMER, Lab Oceanog Spatiale, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
Source Ieee Transactions On Geoscience And Remote Sensing (0196-2892) (Ieee-inst Electrical Electronics Engineers Inc), 2017-10 , Vol. 55 , N. 10 , P. 5843-5853
DOI 10.1109/TGRS.2017.2715986
Keyword(s) Geophysical measurements, radar cross section, remote sensing, sea surface, surface waves
Abstract

The generalized curvature ocean surface scattering model [general curvature model (GCM)] is extended and revisited. Two key steps are addressed in this paper, namely, a necessary sea surface spectrum undressing procedure and the inclusion of a skewness phase-related component. Normalized radar cross-section (NRCS) simulations are generated at C-band for various wind conditions, polarizations, and incidence angles. Results are compared with CMOD5.n. Although the sea surface spectrum undressing procedure is a necessary step, the overall NRCS dynamic is notably affected only in low wind conditions (<= 5 m/s). The inclusion of the skewness phase-related component makes the most impact to the NRCS dynamic where the upwind/downwind asymmetry is clearly detectable. A good agreement between the upwind/downwind asymmetry of the extended GCM and CMOD5.n is achieved for moderate winds (approximate to 5-10 m/s) and moderate incidence angles (approximate to 32 degrees -40 degrees). For low incidence angles (<26 degrees), the GCM tends to overestimate the upwind/downwind asymmetry compared with CMOD5.n.

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