Characterization and Modeling of Doppler Spectra for Offshore UHF-Band Sea Clutter at Low Grazing Angles

Abstract

The Doppler spectra of sea echoes, which contain abundant information on floating scatterers, are important for exploring the characteristics of sea clutter. Using sea clutter data at low grazing angles observed by a coherent ultra-high frequency (UHF) radar located on Lingshan Island in the Yellow Sea, China, this study conducted detailed research on the characteristics of Doppler spectra with multiple ocean parameters, including grazing angle, significant wave height (SWH), and wave directions. The effect of sea echoes with different local normalized intensities on short-time Doppler spectra was further studied. The results indicate that with increasing sea states, the bimodal behavior of Doppler spectra, an evident phenomenon of Bragg scattering, gradually weakens. The frequency shifts of the mean spectra increased linearly with increasing SWH and wind speed, decreased linearly with increasing grazing angle, and decreased with the cosine value of the relative wave direction angles. In comparison, frequency shifts of the short-time spectra increased with increasing sea states and local echo intensities but fluctuated around a fixed value after reaching a certain extent. For spectral widths, the grazing angle is a significant influencing factor, with its broadening trend evident with a decrease in the grazing angle, whereas other ocean parameters, such as wave direction and wind direction, have no apparent influence. Considering the major contributions of the parameters, semi-empirical models for the mean spectral frequency shifts, mean spectral widths and short-time spectral frequency shifts were proposed. By verifying the measured data and predicted results, the models exhibited good prediction accuracy and applicability. The proposed inferences and models are helpful for understanding low grazing angle UHF-band sea clutter characteristics and improving target detection algorithms in offshore areas. These findings supplement previous studies on sea clutter Doppler spectra.