Abstract
Synthetic aperture radar has been used to image long‐period (15–200 s) gravity waves in the nearshore region of Lake Michigan. These long‐period waves are a response of the sea surface to forcing by a nonmonochromatic, wind‐generated surface wave field. The synthetic aperture radar data were successfully compared with an in situ wave gauge record. Both one‐ and two‐dimensional fast Fourier transforms were generated from near and offshore regions of synthetic aperture radar data. The synthetic aperture radar‐derived near and offshore spectral estimates exhibited both low‐ and high‐frequency wave components. Classical bathymetrically controlled wave refraction was observed for both the short as well as long wave components of the sea surface. This paper demonstrates the ability of X band synthetic aperture radar to detect low‐amplitude, long‐period signals. The signals appear to correspond to a ‘surf beat’ generated by the incident wind wave field.
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