ANALYSIS OF THE SEA SURFACE MODULATION BY BOTTOM TOPOGRAPHY IN GYEONGGI BAY USING MICROWAVE SCATTERING MODELS AND SAR DATA

Abstract

The effect of the interaction between surface currents and bottom topography to the radar cross section (RCS) is investigated using theoretical and numerical scattering models and SAR data. First, the ocean wave spectrum is computed, which corresponds to the sea surface perturbed by a varying surface current under the wind condition at the time of each SAR data acquisition. The surface current was extracted from the tidal current models. The RCS modulations are computed using the numerical scattering model based on the method of moments (MoM) with undulated surface height profiles simulated from the perturbed wave spectrum. The numerical results are compared with the X- and C- bands SAR data. Although there are some discrepancies on the RCS and modulation gradient, reasonable agreement was obtained between the computed RCS and SAR measurements.corresponds to the sea surface perturbed by a varying surface current under the wind condition at the time of each SAR data acquisition. The surface current was extracted from the tidal current models. The RCS modulations are computed using the numerical scattering model based on the method of moments (MoM) with undulated surface height profiles simulated from the perturbed wave spectrum. The numerical results are compared with the X- and C- bands SAR data. Although there are some discrepancies on the RCS and modulation gradient, reasonable agreement was obtained between the computed RCS and SAR measurements.