Comparison of Simulated and Measured Synthetic Aperture Radar Image Spectra with Buoy-Derived Ocean Wave Spectra During the Shuttle Imaging Radar B Mission

During the SIR-B mission over the North Sea, two successful synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data takes with simultaneous buoy measurements of ocean wave spectra have been obtained on October 6 and 8, 1984. On October 6, the SAR imaging of ocean waves was predicted as strongly nonlinear and on October 8 as almost linear. The SIR-B experiment confirmed the theoretical predictions. By applying the SAR imaging model based on velocity bunching theory the SAR image spectra are calculated from the measured ocean wave spectra. These calculated SAR image spectra are compared with the SIR-B derived SAR image spectra and it is shown that both agree quite well. This is considered as a further experimental confirmation for the velocity bunching model that has been proposed for describing SAR imaging of ocean surface waves.