Focusing of synthetic aperture radar ocean images with long integration times

Abstract

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images obtained in the SAR and X Band Ocean Nonlinearities: Chesapeake Light Tower (SAXON:CLT) experiment are processed with long integration times (6 s) and analyzed to study the effects of focusing. Two images with near‐azimuth‐traveling waves were chosen for the study. The first image consists of relatively short wavelength wind waves traveling in the same general direction as the aircraft. The second image consists of a long Atlantic swell traveling in the opposite direction to the aircraft. At these long integration times the image spectral intensities are found to be sensitive to the focus setting. The spectral intensity at the optimum focus is 400% of that at zero focus for the first image and 167% for the second image. The focusing curves for both images agree well with those predicted by a model developed by several groups and referred to here as the “consensus” model. This model predicts an optimum focus setting that is equal to one half of the effective phase speed of the dominant wave in the azimuth direction. The velocity bunching model underpredicts the optimum focus setting significantly. The study concludes that in long‐integration‐time SAR processing of surface waves, such as the spotlight mode, the image contrast is sensitively dependent on the focus setting and that the optimum focus setting is given by one half of the effective phase speed of the dominant surface wave.