Ocean Dynamics

, Volume 64, Issue 7, pp 999–1018 | Cite as

Marine radar ocean wave retrieval’s dependency on range and azimuth

  • Björn Lund
  • Clarence O. Collins
  • Hans C. Graber
  • Eric Terrill
  • Thomas H. C. Herbers
Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:
Part of the following topical collections:
  1. Topical Collection on the 13th International Workshop on Wave Hindcasting and Forecasting in Banff, Alberta, Canada October 27 - November 1, 2013

Abstract

The strength of the surface wave signal in marine X-band radar (MR) images strongly depends on range and azimuth (i.e., the angle between antenna look and peak wave direction). Traditionally, MR wave analysis is carried out in a set of rectangular windows covering the radar field of view (FOV). The FOV is typically partially obstructed, e.g., due to the coastline or ship superstructures. Especially for ships that are subject to regular course changes, this results in an increased variability or error associated with wave parameters. Using MR measurements from R/P FLIP, acquired off California during the 2010 US Office of Naval Research (ONR) high resolution air–sea interaction (Hi-Res) experiment, this study quantifies the dependency of the radar-based 2D wave spectrum and parameters on range and azimuth. With the help of reference data from a nearby Datawell Waverider buoy, we propose empirical methods to remove the dependency and we illustrate their efficacy.

Keywords

Ocean waves Shipboard wave measurements Marine X-band radar Remote sensing 
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Björn Lund
    • 1
  • Clarence O. Collins
    • 1
  • Hans C. Graber
    • 1
  • Eric Terrill
    • 2
  • Thomas H. C. Herbers
    • 3
  1. 1.Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric ScienceUniversity of MiamiMiamiUSA
  2. 2.Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaUSA
  3. 3.Naval Postgraduate School MontereyMontereyUSA

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