Phase and doppler errors in a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar imaging the ocean surface

Data processing in a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging the ocean surface is affected by earth rotation, orbit eccentricity, and wave motion. Without compensation these sources will cause the images to shift in range and in-track positions and also cause defocusing. Ionospheric granularities may degrade image quality. Calculations of the magnitudes of these effects are presented.