Ocean wave imaging using an airborne single pass across-track interferometric SAR

An airborne single pass across-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) is used to image ocean waves. A theoretical model explaining the imaging mechanisms is developed, and simulations of the interferogram as well as the conventional SAR intensity image are presented for given ocean wave spectra. Distortions of digital elevation models (DEM) derived from InSAR data are explained by the motion of the sea surface. A Monte Carlo method based on forward simulations is used to estimate variance spectra of the distorted elevation models. It is shown that a straightforward estimation of wave height using the distorted InSAR elevation model is in good agreement with true wave height for low amplitude swell with about 10% error depending on propagation direction and coherence time. However, severe underestimation of wave height is found for wind seas propagating in flight direction. Forward simulations show that the distorted InSAR DEM is less dependent an the model chosen for the real aperture radar mechanism than conventional SAR images. Data acquired during an experiment over the North Sea by a high precision InSAR system are compared with simulations