Application of Doppler Spectrum for Retrieval of Statistical Parameters of Sea Waves

The experiment for studying of microwave backscatter by the rough water surface during the flight above the Gorky water storage basin was performed. A Doppler radar (10GHz) with a knife-like beam (1deg - 16deg) was installed at a helicopter and was oriented vertically downward. The analysis of the experimental data has confirmed that the width of the Doppler spectrum depends on the direction of wave propagation. The new algorithm for determination the correlation coefficient between the vertical component of the orbital velocity and water surface slopes, as well as the variance of orbital velocity was developed using the width of the Doppler spectrum of the reflected radar signal for the case of moving radar. The experimental data processing has confirmed the effectiveness of retrieval algorithm and demonstrated the possibility to determine the average phase velocity of sea waves, the average wavelength, and the significant wave height.