A numerical study of the separation wavenumber in the two-scale scattering approximation [ocean surface radar backscatter]

The modeling of radar backscatter from the ocean uses the two-scale scattering approximation. This approximation assumes that the continuous spectrum of the ocean can be separated at some wavenumber into large- and small-scale surfaces, allowing use of physical optics and small perturbation methods. The authors investigate the choice of the separation wavenumber by comparing two-scale calculations and exact numerical calculations for a randomly rough surface with a power law spectrum