Forward scattering phenomena at low grazing

A series of low angle radar measurements was conducted over a large wave pool capable of producing a wide range of scaled sea conditions. The X-band measurements observed the forward scattering from a 1D, 1/10th scale Pierson-Moskowitz surface at sea states. The experiment observed several interesting phenomena at low grazing angles including the Lloyd mirror rotation effect and channeling phenomenon. The Lloyd mirror rotation effect is a shift in the interference pattern due to shadowing. The channeling phenomenon is a type of forward scattering that occasionally occurs when a well-formed sea wave briefly reflects or focuses the out-of-plane energy towards the receiver, yielding a higher than expected, broad-band power gain. Observations for both phenomena are summarized and physical explanations are provided