Measurement and classification of low-grazing-angle radar sea spikes

High-resolution dual-polarization X-band images of the ocean surface were obtained at a grazing angle of about 3°. Area extensive imaging allowed us to study the backscatter properties of sea spikes and to compare radar measurements with visual surface features evident from video recordings. The vertically polarized radar images consist of distributed scatter whose amplitude and Doppler velocity are modulated by larger scale gravity waves consistent with Bragg scattering and composite surface theory (CST). The horizontally polarized radar images are dominated by spatially discrete scattering centers (or sea spikes) moving at velocities comparable to the phase velocities of gravity waves beyond the spectral peak. These sea spikes also exist in the corresponding V-pol radar images, but are less prominent due to the dominant Bragg backscatter. Sea spikes are characterized by polarization ratios H/V that often exceed unity, typically by about 5 dB. Comparison of the larger spikes with simultaneous co-registered video recording of the surface indicates that approximately 30% of observed sea spikes are associated with actively breaking waves (whitecaps) while the remainder are identified with “steep” wave features. By classifying the larger sea spikes according to their corresponding surface features, we find hat the Doppler velocities for sea spikes due to whitecaps are noticeably faster (about 50%) than other sea spikes, though the distributions for both overlap significantly. We also find little measurable difference in the polarization ratios of the two classes of sea spikes as observed on the open ocean