Nonlinear Internal Waves in Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery

Abstract

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has contributed significantly to the study and understanding of oceanic nonlinear internal waves. Although they travel within the ocean's interior, currents associated with internal waves produce variations in ocean surface roughness that is readily detectable by SAR. This paper will first review the morphology of nonlinear internal wave signatures in SAR imagery and then examine the information that can be extracted from those signatures, including the determination of wave type and an estimation of phase speed.