A physically-based two-scale electromagnetic model for backscatter from ocean-like surfaces

Discusses the development of a two-scale radar sea scatter model including use of a directional spectrum and bispectrum of the water surface. Such a development seeks to quantify the involvement of complex surface hydrodynamic processes. Upwind-crosswind difference is retrieved from the spreading function of the short and long waves while upwind-downwind asymmetry is reproduced from the skewness function of the small features on the water surface. Hydrodynamic contribution is included to model longer wave system influences (amplitude and direction of swell systems). Thus, this two-scale model compares well against CMOD4, CMOD_IFREMER and SASS-II models for C-band VV polarization, and Ku-band VV- and HH-polarization, respectively