Radar propagation modeling using the boundary integral equations in a maritime environment with a duct

One popular approach to solve the sea surface scattering and propagation in a ducting environment is the parabolic wave equation (PWE) method. An alternative method is the boundary integral equations (BIE) method. The implementation of the BIE in inhomogeneous media (ducting environments) is not straightforward, however, since the Green´s function for such a medium is not usually known. In this paper, a closed-form approximation of the Green´s function for a two-dimensional (2-D) ducting environment made up of a duct having a linear-square refractive index profile below a medium of constant refractive index, recently published, is used. This paper demonstrates how the BIE method can model the combined effects of surface roughness and medium inhomogeneity. Furthermore, it illustrates its capability of accurately predicting scattering in all directions including backscattering. Then, the PWE combined with the Split-Step Fourier (SSF) method is compared with this method.