Articles | Volume 4, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-4-213-1997
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-4-213-1997
31 Dec 1997
31 Dec 1997

A fractal model for the sea state bias in radar altimetry

D. E. Bar and Y. Agnon

Abstract. The Kirchhoff approximation is used to determine the sea state bias in radar altimetry. A weakly nonlinear model of the sea waves is used to derive the joint moments of two different points separated by a distance R; the bias moment is formulated, and found for power law spectra. The method provides a consistent analysis of the sea state bias and avoids the need to truncate the high frequency tail of power-law wave spectra. The model exhibits dependence of the "electromagnetic bias" on the radar frequency, an effect observed in field experiments.