Complex SAR imagery and speckle filtering for wave imaging

A method is described to predict the wavenumber dependence of the speckle component in spectra of synthetic aperture radar intensity images. Filtering of this component is an important step in recovering waveheight spectra for synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) images of the ocean, and an effective means of doing so is required for the ´wave mode´ of the European satellite ERS-1. The method uses the correlation function of the corresponding complex images and has been tested using a variety of airborne and spaceborne imagery obtained over both land and sea. Examples are shown of both successful and unsuccessful applications of the method.