Low grazing angle dual polarized Doppler radar measurements of oceanic fronts

Presents low grazing angle dual polarized Doppler radar measurements of oceanic fronts made from a ship-borne platform during the 2nd ONR/NRL High Resolution Remote Sensing experiment (HIRES-II). These are compared with in-situ Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements and occurrence of whitecap events recorded using a closed circuit TV camera. The results show that dual polarized radar operating in this angular regime can provide useful information about the current variability, occurrence of wave breaking and the effects of fronts on the propagation of ocean waves. This information is important for understanding and modeling the physical mechanisms governing the radar imaging of oceanic fronts