Dual-beam interferometry for ocean surface current vector mapping
The recent use of along-track interferometry (ATI) in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has shown promise for synoptic measurement of ocean surface currents. ATI-SARs have been used to estimate wave fields, currents, and current features. This paper describes and analyzes a dual-beam along-track interf...
| Authors: | , |
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| Format: | article |
| Publication Date: | 2001 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repository: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/1458 |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/1458 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Interferometry Remote sensing airborne radar oceanographic techniques remote sensing by radar synthetic aperture radar SAR airborne method along-track interferometer along-track interferometry azimuthal displacement dual-beam interferometry dynamics measurement technique moving surface ocean radar interferometry radar remote sensing surface current synoptic measurement vector mapping vector surface velocity Interferometria Sensors remots Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria de la telecomunicació::Radiocomunicació i exploració electromagnètica::Teledetecció |
| Summary: | The recent use of along-track interferometry (ATI) in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has shown promise for synoptic measurement of ocean surface currents. ATI-SARs have been used to estimate wave fields, currents, and current features. This paper describes and analyzes a dual-beam along-track interferometer to provide spatially resolved vector surface velocity estimates with a single pass of an aircraft. The design employs a pair of interferometer beams, one squinted forward and one squinted aft. Each interferometric phase is sensitive to the component of surface Doppler velocity in the direction of the beam. Therefore, a proper combination of these measurements provides a vector surface velocity estimate in one pass of the aircraft. The authors find that precise measurements dictate widely spaced beams and that the spatial resolution for the squinted SAR is essentially identical to the sidelooking case. Practical instrument design issues are discussed, and an airborne system currently in development is described. Through computer simulation, they observe the azimuthal displacement of interferometric phases by moving surfaces identical to those of conventional SAR and find that such displacement can bias the estimated surface velocity. |
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