Bound waves and radar backscattering from the sea surface

New effects recently revealed in field experiments conducted in IAP RAS on radar probing of the sea surface and associated with strong nonlinearity of short gravity-capillary waves and generation of high-order harmonics and "parasitic" capillary ripples (bound waves) are discussed. Wave tank experiments on radar probing of short wind waves in the presence/ absence of films are also described and relative intensities of linear and bound waves are estimated. Field and wave tank experiments has confirmed the expected intensification of modulation of Bragg ripples due to long surface waves, the modulation coefficient has been shown to be several times the modulation on a clean water surface.