Engineering topics

Keller, W. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Keller, W. C..

9 records

NASA NTRS1995

Measurements of electromagnetic bias at Ku and C bands

The electromagnetic (EM) bias epsilon is an error present in radar altimetry of the ocean surface due to nonuniform reflection with surface displacement. The electromagnetic bias is defined as the difference in height between the mean reflecting surface and the mean sea surface. A knowledge of the electromagnetic bias is required for reducing errors in mean sea level measurements by satellite radar altimeters. Direct measurements of the EM bias at 14 GHz (Ku band) and 5 GHz (C band) were made from an oil production platform in the Gulf of Mexico over a 6-month period during 1989 and 1990. A total of 1280 hours of usable data was collected. During the experiment the significant wave height (SWH) varied from 0.6 to 3.2 m; the wind speed at 25 m above the surface varied from 0.1 to 14.3 m/s; the Ku band bias varied from -1.0 to -13.8 cm, or from -1.6% to -5.3% of the SWH; and the C band bias varied from -0.4 to -19.9 cm, or from -0.6% to -6.3% of the SWH. The biases has mean values of -3.7% and -3.6% of SWH with standard deviations of the variability about the mean of 0.7% and 1.0% of the SWH for Ku and C bands, respectively. We found a nonlinear relationship between dimensionless bias (bias/SWH) and wind speed at both low and high wind speeds. For wind speeds less than 3-4 m/s but less than 10 m/s, both biases were found to increase linearly with wind speed. For wind speeds greater than 11-12 m/s, the C band bias reaches a maximum. The Ku band bias reaches a maximum and then begins to decrease for wind speeds greater than 9-10 m/s.

Arnold, D. V.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Investigation of AIRSAR signatures of the Gulf Stream

Extensive Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) measurements were made on 20 July 1990 during the NRL Gulf Stream (GS) experiment which addressed a number of scientific questions relating to SAR imaging of the ocean surface in the presence of variable currents and the background thermohaline circulation. The nature of the electromagnetic (e.m.) backscatter from the North edge of the GS using polarimetric signatures and amplitude imagery from the AIRSAR data is addressed.

Valenzuela, G. R.↗

NASA NTRS1991

AIRSAR observations of the Gulf Stream with interpretation from sea truth and modeling

On 20 Jul., JPL/DC-8 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) participated in the 17-21 Jul. 1990 NRL Gulf Stream (GS) experiment in preparation for SIR-C missions in 1993, 1994, and 1996 for calibration purposes and to check modes and techniques for operation at our experimental site off the east coast of the US. During this experiment, coordinated and near simultaneous measurements were performed from ship (R/V Cape Henlopen) and other aircraft (NADC/P-3 and NRL/P-3) to address scientific questions relating to the origin of 'slick-like' features observed by Scully-Power, the refraction and modulation of waves by variable currents, the effect of current and thermal fronts on radar imagery signatures and the modification of Kelvin ship wakes by fronts. The JPL/DC-8 and NADC/P-3 SAR's are fully polarimetric systems. Their composite frequency range varies between P- and X-band. We describe in detail the Airborne SAR (AIRSAR) participation in the Jul. 1990 GS experiment and present preliminary results of the ongoing analysis and interpretation of the radar imagery in the context of ground truth, other remote measurements, and modeling efforts.

Valenzuela, G. R.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Measurements of electromagnetic bias in radar altimetry

As the accuracy of satellite altimetric measurements of sea level is limited in part by the influence of ocean waves on the altimeter signal reflected from the sea surface, the difference between the mean reflecting surface and mean sea level is the electromagnetic bias. In order to obtain a better understanding of this bias, it is measured directly utilizing a 14-GHz scatterometer on the Chesapeake Bay Light Tower. It is shown that electromagnetic bias in radar altimetry may be reduced to the level required by the TOPEX/Poseidon mission utilizing only altimetric data. The mean value of beta, its variability, and the sensitivity to wind are all significantly larger than earlier measurements utilizing a 39-GHz radar carried on a low-flying aircraft.

Melville, W. K.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Measurements of sea spikes in microwave backscatter at moderate incidence

Quantitative measurements of the relationship between the friction velocity and sea spikes in the mean normalized radar cross section (MNRCS) are presented. The intensity threshold for the definition of sea spike contribution to the MNRCS is used to count large sea spikes associated with a positive mean Doppler frequency. The proposed method is applied to Ku-band measurements made with a dual-polarized Doppler scatterometer at a moderate incidence angle from a fixed platform in the North Sea. The variation of the sea spike contribution to the MNRCS with friction velocity was found to be consistent with Phillips' (1988) prediction of a cubic dependence.

Jessup, A. T.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Airborne microwave Doppler measurements of ocean wave directional spectra

A technique is presented for measuring ocean wave directional spectra from aircraft using microwave Doppler radar. The technique involves backscattering coherent microwave radiation from a patch of sea surface which is small compared to dominant ocean wavelengths in the antenna look direction, and large compared to these lengths in the perpendicular (azimuthal) direction. The mean Doppler shift of the return signal measured over short time intervals is proportional to the mean sea surface velocity of the illuminated patch. Variable sea surface velocities induced by wave motion therefore produce time-varying Doppler shifts in the received signal. The large azimuthal dimension of the patch implies that these variations must be produced by surface waves traveling near the horizontal antenna look direction thus allowing determination of the direction of wave travel. Linear wave theory is used to convert the measured velocities into ocean wave spectral densities. Spectra measured simultaneously with this technique and two laser profilometers, and nearly simultaneous with this technique and two laser profilometers, and nearly simultaneous with a surface buoy, are presented. Applications and limitations of this airborne Doppler technique are discussed.

Plant, W. J.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Parametric dependence of ocean wave-radar modulation transfer functions

Microwave techniques at X and L band were used to determine the dependence of ocean-wave radar modulation transfer functions (MTFs) on various environmental and radar parameters during the Marine Remote Sensing experiment of 1979 (MARSEN 79). These MIF are presented, as are coherence functions between the AM and FM parts of the backscattered microwave signal. It is shown that they both depend on several of these parameters. Besides confirming many of the properties of transfer functions reported by previous authors, indications are found that MTFs decrease with increasing angle between wave propagation and antenna-look directions but are essentially independent of small changes in air-sea temperature difference. However, coherence functions are much smaller when the antennas are pointed perpendicular to long waves. It is found that X band transfer functions measured with horizontally polarized microwave radiation have larger magnitudes than those obtained by using vertical polarization.

Plant, W. J.↗

NASA NTRS1983

The modification of X and L band radar signals by monomolecular sea slicks

One methyl oleate and two oleyl alcohol surface films were produced on the surface of the North Sea under comparable oceanographic and meteorological conditions in order to investigate their influence on X and L band radar backscatter. Signals are backscattered in these bands primarily by surface waves with lengths of about 2 and 12 cm, respectively, and backscattered power levels in both bands were reduced by the slicks. The reduction was larger at X band than at L band, however, indicating that shorter waves are more intensely damped by the surface films. The oleyl alcohol film caused greater attenuation of short gravity waves than the film of methyl oleate, thus demonstrating the importance of the physicochemical properties of films on the damping of wind-generated gravity capillary waves. Finally, these experiments indicate a distinct dependence of the degree of damping on the angle between wind and waves. Wind-generated waves traveling in the wind direction are more intensely damped by surface films than are waves traveling at large angles to the wind.

Huehnerfuss, H.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Ocean wave-radar modulation transfer functions from the West Coast experiment

Short gravity-capillary waves, the equilibrium, or the steady state excitations of the ocean surface are modulated by longer ocean waves. These short waves are the predominant microwave scatterers on the ocean surface under many viewing conditions so that the modulation is readily measured with CW Doppler radar used as a two-scale wave probe. Modulation transfer functions (the ratio of the cross spectrum of the line-of-sight orbital speed and backscattered microwave power to the autospectrum of the line-of-sight orbital speed) were measured at 9.375 and 1.5 GHz (Bragg wavelengths of 2.3 and 13 cm) for winds up to 10 m/s and ocean wave periods from 2-18 s. The measurements were compared with the relaxation-time model; the principal result is that a source of modulation other than straining by the horizontal component of orbital speed, possibly the wave-induced airflow, is responsible for most of the modulation by waves of typical ocean wave period (10 s). The modulations are large; for unit coherence, spectra of radar images of deep-water waves should be proportional to the quotient of the slope spectra of the ocean waves by the ocean wave frequency.

Wright, J. W.↗