On the retrieval of the ocean wave spectrum from the SAR image

Abstract

The complex problem of the retrieval of the ocean wave spectrum from the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image is not solved yet. The famous Hasselmanns' solution (1991) being a significant success, nevertheless, can not be considered a complete solution of the problem, since it is based on an imaging mechanism which is not a unique one and not always the main one. Obviously, it is not necessary for the solution to be in closed form, i.e. to use the information contained in the image solely. Useful information is present in the backscattered signal Doppler spectrum but vanishes in the image. The present authors pay attention to the possibility of reducing of the nonlinear distortions in the SAR ocean images caused by the surface motion by using the mentioned additional information.<>