The influence of altitude and look angle on SAR ocean wave imaging: a practical compromise

Under the appropriate viewing geometry, spaceborne SAR (synthetic aperture radar) images of ocean waves can be used to produce high-fidelity estimates of the ocean wave spectrum. For SAR platforms having high range-to-velocity ratios and large nadir look angles the imaging can become severely nonlinear. The nonlinearity makes it difficult to extract useful information about azimuth traveling waves. On the other hand, for low satellite orbits associated with favorable range-to-velocity ratios, fuel requirements limit satellite lifetime. The author presents the case for a practical compromise that envisions a satellite SAR operating at up to 450 km altitude