Polarimetric Scattering from Two-Dimensional Dielectric Rough Sea Surface with a Ship-Induced Kelvin Wake

Abstract

Based on the polarimetric scattering model of second-order small-slope approximation (SSA-II) with tapered wave incidence for reducing the edge effect caused by limited surface size, monostatic and bistatic polarimetric scattering signatures of two-dimensional dielectric rough sea surface with a ship-induced Kelvin wake is investigated in detail by comparison with those of sea surface without ship wake. The emphasis of this paper is on an investigation of depolarized scattering and enhanced backscattering of sea surface with a ship wake that changes the sea surface geometric structure especially for low wind conditions. Numerical simulations show that in the plane of incidence rough sea surface scattering is dominated by copolarized scattering rather than cross-polarized scattering and that under low wind conditions a larger ship speed gives rise to stronger enhanced backscattering and enhanced depolarized scattering. For both monostatic and bistatic configuration, simulation results indicate that electromagnetic scattering signatures in the presence of a ship wake dramatically differ from those without ship wake, which may serve as a basis for the detection of ships in marine environment.