Electromagnetic Scattering Analysis of the Sea Surface with Single Breaking Waves

A new electromagnetic (EM) scattering model of the sea surface with single breaking waves is proposed based on the high-frequency method in this paper. At first, realistic breaking wave sequences are obtained by solving the fluid equations which are simplified. Then, the rough sea surface is established using the linear filtering method. A new wave model is obtained by combining breaking waves with rough sea surface using a 3D coordinate transformation. Finally, the EM scattering features of the sea surface with breaking waves are studied by using shooting and bouncing rays and the physical theory of diffraction (SBR-PTD). It is found that the structure that is similar to a dihedral corner reflector between the breaking wave and rough sea surface exhibits multiple scattering, which leads to the sea-spike phenomenon that the scattering result of horizontal (HH) polarization is larger than that of vertical (VV) polarization, especially at low-grazing-angle (LGA) incidents with upwind. The sea-spike phenomenon is also closely related to the location of strong scattering.

A Novel Fast Multiple-Scattering Approximate Model for Oceanographic Lidar

An effective lidar simulator is vital for its system design and processing algorithms. However, laser transmission is a complex process due to the effects of sea surface and various interactions in seawater such as absorption, scattering, and so on. It is sophisticated and difficult for multiple scattering to accurately simulate. In this study, a multiple-scattering lidar model based on multiple-forward-scattering-single-backscattering approximation for oceanic lidar was proposed. Compared with previous analytic models, this model can work without assuming a homogeneous water and fixed scattering phase function. Besides, it takes consideration of lidar system and environmental parameters including receiver field of view, different scattering phase functions, particulate sizes, stratified water, and rough sea surface. One should note that because the scattering phase function is difficult to determine accurately, the simulation accuracy may be reduced in a complex oceanic environment. The Cox–Munk model used in our method simulates capillarity waves but ignores gravity waves, and the pulse stretching is not included. The wide-angle scattering occurs in the dense subsurface phytoplankton, which sometimes makes it hard to use this model. In this study, we firstly derived this method based on an analytical solution by convolving Gaussians of the forward-scattering contribution of layer dr and the energy density at R in the small-angle-scattering approximation. Then, the effects of multiple scattering and water optical properties were analyzed using the model. Meanwhile, the validation with Monte Carlo model was implemented. Their coefficient of determination is beyond 0.9, the RMSE is within 0.02, the MAD is within 0.02, and the MAPD is within 8%, which indicates that our model is efficient for oceanographic lidar simulation. Finally, we studied the effects of FOV, SPF, rough sea surface, stratified water, and particle size. These results can provide reference for the design of the oceanic lidar system and contribute to the processing of lidar echo signals.

The Effect of Environmental Conditions on the Quality of UAS Orthophoto-Maps in the Coastal Environment

Marine conservation and management require detailed and accurate habitat mapping, which is usually produced by collecting data using remote sensing methods. In recent years, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are used for marine data acquisition, as they provide detailed and reliable information through very high-resolution orthophoto-maps. However, as for all remotely sensed data, it is important to study and understand the accuracy and reliability of the produced maps. In this study, the effect of different environmental conditions on the quality of UAS orthophoto-maps was examined through a positional and thematic accuracy assessment. Selected objects on the orthophoto-maps were also assessed as to their position, shape, and extent. The accuracy assessment results showed significant errors in the different maps and objects. The accuracy of the classified images varied between 2.1% and 27%. Seagrasses were under-classified, while the mixed substrate class was overclassified when environmental conditions were not optimal. The highest misclassifications were caused due to sunglint presence in combination with a rough sea-surface. A change detection workflow resulted in detecting misclassifications of up to 45%, on orthophoto-maps that had been generated under non-optimal environmental conditions. The results confirmed the importance of optimal conditions for the acquisition of reliable marine information using UAS.

Additional radar signature for waterborne object recognition

Subject and Purpose. The article is devoted to the radio recognition of moving waterborne objects (sea-going ships). The problem lies in the lack of radar signatures, which is especially true for coherent radar in continuous mode, implying that more signatures for the waterborne object recognition is highly needed. An additional signature can be gained just by means of a simple mathematical processing of target reflection signals. This is particularly important for radio recognition systems in current use because this will hardly complicate the system structure. Hence, it will not affect its cost either. Methods and Methodology. The method developed for the retrieval of an additional radar signature characteristic of waterborne objects moving across a rough sea surface is based on a simple mathematical processing of a signal reflected from the moving waterborne object and taken from the phase output of coherent radar. The method approbation is by the mathematical modeling of signals at the phase detector output in the event of three waterborne objects such that have identical scattering cross sections but different periods of the side and keel vibrations. Results. Based on the mathematical modeling results, it has been shown that each of the local scattering centers keeps the ratio of the linear speeds of side and keel vibrations approximately the same for the same object. But the employed ratio takes different values for different objects. Conclusion. Having a single standard coherent radar in continuous mode and guided by the developed methodology, one can gain an additional signature for the target recognition, which is a ratio of the linear speeds of side and keel vibrations of the target. The suggested methodology can be used for the radio recognition of waterborne objects moving across a rough sea surface.