Perspectives on Modeling Electromagnetic Sea Scatter
Abstract
The purpose of this report is to provide a brief perspective on the status of various theories used to predict the scattering of electromagnetic waves from the sea surface. The three theoretical approaches discusses are the Global Boundary Value Problem (GBVP), the Composite Surface Model (CSM), and the Surface Feature Scattering Model (SFSM). It is concluded, among other things, that (1) the GBVP approaches are inadequate without further consideration of surface sharpness in the scattering integral; (2) the basic conceptual difficulties that prevent the CSM from being a satisfactory physical theory should be confronted; (3) while the SFSMs can account for scattering behavior inexplicable by the other methods, there is still no way to relate the generation and distribution of the scattering features to measurable environmental variables. The present state of understanding of sea scatter is judged to be inadequate as a basis for reliable predictions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 28, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA226939
Entities
People
- Lewis B. Wetzel
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory