An application of the two-scale model from the point of view of the small-slope approximation to radar observations from the ocean

The angular and polarization dependencies of the radar backscatter from the ocean at low grazing angles at X-band are discussed. Analysis of recent backscattering data, obtained as a result of small grazing-angle radar observations, indicates that the Bragg mechanism alone cannot explain all the peculiarities of the experimental results in the presence of surface stratification and hydrodynamical modulation. The two-scale model, from the point of view of the small-slope approximation (SSA), takes into account the effects of modulation of the scattering cross section due to small-scale roughness, caused by the local slopes of a large-scale undulating surface. The two-dimensional JONSWAP spectrum has been used to calculate the cross sections derived. The results obtained are compared with San Clemente Ocean Probing Experiment (SCOPE) measurements and some Coastal Ocean Probing Experiment (COPE) results.