The paper is focused on investigation of microwave backscattering from wind waves on a clean water surface. Field experiments were carried out in the coastal zone of the Black Sea using dual co-polarized Doppler X-band scatterometer and a three-band Doppler dual co-polarized radar (X-, С-, S-bands). The radar incidence angles were about 50 - 60 degrees, the wind changed in a wide range of speeds. We assumed that microwave backscattering at VV and HH polarizations is composed by a Bragg (polarized) component associated with Bragg waves and a non-polarized component (NBR). Analysis of Doppler spectra of NBR allowed us to remove the effect of strong wave breaking (overturning wave crests) from the time series and to study the backscatter associated only with dm-scale waves. Measurements of wind waves with a wire gauge were carried out simultaneously with the radar monitoring. It is shown that the velocities of non-Bragg scatterers not associated with strong wave breaking in X-, С-, S-bands correspond to the velocities of short dm waves and weakly depend on radar wavelength. The speeds of the scatterers in X-, С-, S-bands associated with overturning wave crests are also close to each other (within the measurement error). The intensity of NBR in X-, С-, S-bands grows with wind speed as well as with the intensity of dm-waves measured by the wire gauge. Strong suppression of NBR and simultaneously measured decrease of short dm-wave intensity are demonstrated, thus confirming the assumption that the intensity of the NBR in X-, С-, S-bands is determined by dm waves.
The system of optical devices for remote sensing of near surface layer of the ocean is created. The system consists of a set of original optical devices for recording of range – time – intensity (RTI) images of sea surface from optical sections of the sea surface and camera for the recording of the wave breakings and the sea wave spectra [1-5] by spectral analysis of the sea surface images. These RTI images enable one to receive complete information about kinematics characteristic of various manifestations on the sea surface, including sea surface waves, near surface wind flow manifestations on the sea surface, internal waves (IW) manifestations, oil slicks and so on owing to its ability to screen objects according to their velocity. The recording of wave spectra and temporal variability of the whitecap coverage performs from the photograph of sea surface synchronous with the RTI images of sea surface. A method for retrieval of sea wave’s slopes from RTI images is presented. The system of optical devices is suitable for remote sensing of sea surface from sea platform, ship or vehicle. The brightness angular structure of the cloudless sky is studied based on the model of the sunlight single scattering. These model data are compared to the experimental angular characteristics of the sky brightness obtained due to digital imaging of the horizon from the oceanographic platform. A method for determining the optical thickness of the atmosphere in three spectral ranges of light in real time from the angular height of the horizontal maximum brightness of a cloudless sky recorded with a digital camera was developed. The obtained values of optical thickness can be used in the models of angular distribution of the cloudless sky brightness to provide possibility of retrieval the waves’ statistical characteristics by the remote optical method.
The role of wave breaking in microwave backscattering from the sea surface is a problem of great importance for development of theories and methods of the ocean remote sensing. Recently it has been shown that the microwave radar return is determined by both Bragg and non Bragg scattering components, and some evidences have been given that the latter is associated with wave breaking. However, our understanding of different mechanisms of the role of wave breaking on small-scale wind waves (ripples) and thus on the radar return is still insufficient. This paper presents results of laboratory experiments on the influence of wave breaking on Ka-band radar signals. An effect of the radar return suppression after wave breaking has been revealed and attributed with wind ripples suppression by breaking waves. The experiments were carried out in an oval wind wave tank where intense m/dm-scale surface wave trains were generated by a mechanical wave maker, in particular using a method of dispersive wave focusing. Wind waves were independently generated in the wave tank. A Ka-band radar was mounted at a height of about 1 m above the water level the incidence angle of microwave radiation was about 50 degrees. The experiments were performed both for a clean water surface and in the presence of an oleic acid monomolecular film. It has been obtained that the radar return before the wave train was determined by wind ripples, the radar Doppler spectrum was centered close to the Bragg wave frequencies. The radar signal intensity was strongly enhanced in a wide frequency range when the train was passing by the study area. After the intense wave train the radar return dropped and then slowly recovered to the initial level. We believe that the attenuation of radar backscattering after the wave train is due to suppression of wind ripples by turbulence and surfactants associated with wave breaking.
Analysis of possibilities of identification and characterization of marine processes using their signatures in radar and optical imagery of the sea surface is a very important problem of the ocean remote sensing which has not been solved yet completely by now. Marine slicks which are the areas of suppressed wind waves can be recorded by different sensors and can be indicators of internal waves, non uniform currents, atmospheric convective cells, etc. Field studies including those simultaneous and co-located with remote observations is the most perspective way to the problem solution. An expedition of the Institute of Applied Physics RAS was organized to study the nature of slick bands and its dynamics in the field of various subsurface processes. Field experiments were carried out in the coastal zone of the Black sea from the Oceanographic Platform of Marine Hydrophysical Institute RAS and from the shore. The structure of the currents in the studied area is characterized by significant heterogeneity, so we were able to register different slick structures in the flow field and wind and the slick dynamics. In some experiments, marine slicks were recorded simultaneously in satellite Sentinel images. Observations of surface manifestations of internal waves were carried out using a digital radar station MRS-1000 and multi-frequency radar complex of IAP RAS. At the same time the measurements of currents in the water column were carried out using the ADCP WH Monitor 1200 kHz, wind speed and direction at a height of 30 meters using WindSonic acoustic anemometer. During the passage of internal waves a system of slick bands with a reduced intensity of small-scale waves were observed. Slick bands were observed mainly over the rear slopes of the internal waves; the data from the accompanying measurements showed that the phase velocity was close to the surface current velocity. Theoretical analysis has shown that in this case the convergent zones, where surfactants are accumulated were formed at the rear slopes of the internal waves. This mechanism of slick formation was predicted earlier theoretically and then was modeled in laboratory experiment.
Recent studies of microwave radar return at moderate and large incidence angles have shown the backscattering is determined by resonance (Bragg) surface waves of cm-scale wavelength range, and by non polarized (non Bragg) component which is associated with wave breaking and quasi specular reflection. This paper is focused on results of field studies of non-Bragg backscattering from the clean water surface and from the water surface covered with surfactant films. The study was carried out using dual polarized X-band radars in the coastal zone of the Black Sea in 2017-2019 at an incidence angle of about 60 degrees. It was found that the radar return contains a Non Bragg component not related to the breaking crests and specular tilt areas at wind speeds from a threshold of the wind wave generation up to wind velocities of the order of 10 m/s. The part of the non-Bragg component not related to the wave breaking crests decreases strongly in the areas of film slicks. At high wind velocities the non-Bragg component out of the spikes is strongly modulated (several times larger than the Bragg component) in the long-wave field, in film slicks the modulation of the non-Bragg component increases. Analysis of the Doppler shifts showed that the velocities of the non-Bragg scatterers correspond to the dm-scale free surface waves and vary slightly in the areas of film slicks. Thus, we concluded that nonlinear features associated with the dm-scale wind waves cause the non-Bragg scattering.
The investigation of surface film pollution is extremely important for ocean ecology and developing the methods of ocean remote sensing. The goal of this work is an experimental study of parameters of surfactant films in real conditions on the sea surface and their effect on measured radar return contrast in the film slicks. The properties of films of oleic acid in real conditions were studied under moderate winds in the Gorky Reservoir. Previously, the dependence of the elasticity and the surface tension coefficient of the oleic acid film (the parameters that determine the wave damping) on the surface of the distilled liquid were studied in detail in our laboratory. To study the properties of the film on the water surface under real conditions, a surfactant was sprayed onto the water surface, after which surface samples were taken using a net method. The film concentration and elasticity of the film were retrieved in the IAP laboratory. It is shown that the mean surface concentration of the film is several times higher than the concentration of the monomolecular layer of oleic acid. In different areas of the film slick, the concentration can vary by 2-3 times. The elasticity of the film formed by oleic acid on the water surface in real conditions is approximately two times less than the elasticity of the oleic acid film previously measured in laboratory conditions. The retrieved elasticity was used to explain the suppression of the X-band radar signal operating at VV polarization at an incidence angle of 60 degrees. To calculate the damping, a model was used that takes into account nonlinear sources of wind wave generation. Using the new elasticity value improves the agreement between the measured and calculated data.
In paper presents a comparative study of the short-scale wind waves spectra, received by means of optical and radiometric methods. The optical method for recording the wind waves spectrum is based on spectral analysis of the optical images of the sea surface with non-nadir observations. An incoherent optical spectrum analyzer developed at the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences is described that allows one to record two-dimensional spectra of the sea surface in real time in the wave number range from 0.3 to 5.0 rad/cm. Wind-wave spectrum retrieval using microwave radiometers was carried out by the method of Non-linear Radiothermal Resonance Spectroscopy (NRRS), which was developed and are improving at present at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Using a set of radiometers-polarimeters of the 3, 5 and 8-mm ranges, provides restoration of the spectrum in the range of wave numbers from 0.39 to 15.0 rad/cm. Synchronous microwave and optical measurements of wind wave spectra were carried out on a marine hydrophysical platform in the Black Sea. The results of the sea wave's spectrum restoration obtained by means microwave and optical technique gave almost identical estimates of the spectral curves level, which also coincide with the model spectra. This fact confirms the consistency of described wind wave's spectra recording methods and the possibility of their use for monitoring the sea surface state in natural conditions.
Damping of gravity-capillary waves on the water surface covered with surface films has been well studied for the case of monomolecular films. In this case, the damping is determined by the elasticity of the film and the surface tension coefficient. The parameter of elasticity itself was introduced for a monomolecular film. The elasticity is determined by dependence of the surface tension on surfactant concentration. Therefore, the usage of this parameter when describing an oil film of nonzero thickness is generally not indisputable. In this paper, we justified the capability of the usage of a phenomenologically introduced parameter - elasticity for quantitative description of the wave damping due to oil films in the wide range of oil film thickness. It is shown that the value of the elasticity dramatically affects dependences of wave characteristics on film thickness. The analysis is based on comparison between results of our laboratory measurements and numerical calculations carried out in the framework of a model of two viscous layer fluids with elastic interface.
The possibilities of the definition of physical characteristics of organic films on the water surface, including oil thickness estimation, were studied in laboratory conditions based on the novel opto-acoustical approach. It was shown that the continuous infrared irradiation of film on the water surface leads to the generation of ultrasonic wave with frequencies of the order of several kHz which is the result of local heating of subsurface layer of water. The preliminary results regarding a relation between physical characteristics of surfactant films and the characteristics of acoustic wave are presented. A promising approach of remote sensing definition of surfactant films characteristics in real sea conditions was proposed on the base of these results. The development of this approach will contribute to the development of modern systems of strategic remote sensing of the ocean and inland basin.
The system of optical devices for remote sensing of near surface layer of the ocean is created. The system consists of a set of original linear array of CCD-photodiodes for the recording of range – time – intensity images (RTI images) of sea surface from optical sections of sea surface and incoherent two-dimensional optical spectrum analyzer (TOSA) for the recording of the sea wave spectra by spectral analysis of the sea surface images in real time. Two these RTI images with various directions of observations enable one to receive complete information about kinematics characteristic of various manifestations on the sea surface, including sea surface waves regardless of its dispersion relation, near surface wind flow manifestations on the sea surface, internal waves (IW) manifestations, oil slicks owing to its ability to screen objects according to their velocity. The recording of short wave spectra perform by the optical spectrum analyzer synchronous with the RTI images of sea surface. The examples of investigations of long surface wave field, sea wave spectra and manifestations of wind gusts and IW are presented.
A shape of marine slicks is an important characteristic which can be used when solving a problem of detection and identification of oil spills on the sea surface. Slick shape and its spatial-temporal evolution depend on many environmental processes, such as wind speed, nonuniform marine currents, internal waves, etc. In the context of the problem of oil spill dynamics it is very important, particularly at initial stages of oil spill evolution, to describe correctly processes of oil film spreading. Until recently the most popular was the Fay’s model of film spreading which, however, could not correctly explain some obvious effects, e.g., asymmetry of film slicks in the downwind and crosswind directions. In this paper new results of field studies of spreading of surfactant films are presented. The experiments with spills of surfactants were conducted on the Gorky water reservoir using a methodology of contouring slicks with a GPS receiver mounted on a motor boat, and also aerial photography from UAV. The following results have been obtained. First, the effect of elongation of oil spills in the wind direction, revealed in our previous experiment, is confirmed. Quantitative data on growth rates of along- and cross-wind slick axes are obtained characterizing initial stages of the spreading process. Second, new effects have been revealed which are: a) saturation of the cross- and along-wind axes at some intermediate stages of slick evolution, and b) further decrease of the along wind slick axis and the slick square, and a tendency to a circular shape at late stages of the slick evolution. A physical model, explaining qualitatively the observed effects is developed.
Dual-polarized microwave radars are of particular interest nowadays as perspective tool of ocean remote sensing. According to conventional models the microwave radar backscattering at moderate and large incidence angles is determined by resonance (Bragg) surface waves of cm-scale wavelength range, and by non polarized (non Bragg) component which is associated with wave breaking and is supposed to be independent on polarization. At present our understanding of physical origin of different components of radar return is still insufficient. In particular, an important problem of variations of Bragg and non Bragg components (BC and NBC, respectively) along the profile of a long surface wave remains poorly investigated. This paper is focused on data processing and analysis of results of field studies of BC and NBC variations over the long wave profile using dual co-polarized X-band radar. It is demonstrated that the intensities of Bragg and non Bragg components are non-uniformly distributed over the long wave profile: BC is not strongly modulated due to long surface waves and dominates near the long wave troughs. NBC is characterized by the appearance of strong spikes near the crests of intensive long waves and contributes significantly to the radar return in the spikes supposedly due to intensification of breaking of short, cm-dm-scale wind waves. It is shown that relation between BC and NBC changes in the presence of surfactants on the water surface because of different suppression of the two components in slicks.
Applications of different radar and optical methods for detection of oil pollutions based on the effect of damping of short wind waves by surface films have been extensively studied last decades. The main problem here is poor knowledge of physical characteristics of oil films, in particular, emulsified oil layers (EOL). The latter are ranged up to 70% of all pollutants. Physical characteristics of EOL which are responsible for wave damping and respectively for possibilities of their remote sensing depend on conditions of emulsification processes, e.g., mixing due to wave breaking, on percentage of water in the oil, etc. and are not well studied by now. In this paper results of laboratory studies of damping of gravity-capillary waves due to EOL on water are presented and compared to oil layers (OL). A laboratory method used previously for monomolecular films and OL, and based on measuring the damping coefficient and wavelength of parametrically generated standing waves has been applied for determination of EOL characteristics. Investigations of characteristics of crude oil, oil emulsions and crude OL and EOL have been carried out in a wide range of surface wave frequencies (from 10 to 25 Hz) and OL and EOL film thickness (from hundredths of millimeter to a few millimeters. The selected frequency range corresponds to Bragg waves for microwave, X- to Ka-band radars typically used for ocean remote sensing. An effect of enhanced wave damping due to EOL compared to non emulsified crude OL is revealed.
Dual-polarized microwave radars are of particular interest nowadays as perspective tool of ocean remote sensing. Microwave radar backscattering at moderate and large incidence angles according to conventional models is determined by resonance (Bragg) surface waves typically of cm-scale wavelength range. Some recent experiments have indicated, however, that an additional, non Bragg component (NBC) contributes to the radar return. The latter is considered to occur due to wave breaking. At present our understanding of the nature of different components of radar return is still poor. This paper presents results of field experiment using an X-/C-/S-band Doppler radar operating at HH- and VVpolarizations. The intensity and radar Doppler shifts for Bragg and non Bragg components are retrieved from measurements of VV and HH radar returns. Analysis of a ratio of VV and HH radar backscatter – polarization ratio (PR) has demonstrated a significant role of a non Bragg component. NBC contributes significantly to the total radar backscatter, in particular, at moderate incidence angles (about 50-70 deg.) it is 2-3 times smaller than VV Bragg component and several times larger that HH Bragg component. Both NBC and BC depend on azimuth angle, being minimal for cross wind direction, but NBC is more isotropic than BC. It is obtained that velocities of scatterers retrieved from radar Doppler shifts are different for Bragg waves and for non Bragg component; NBC structures are “faster” than Bragg waves particularly for upwind radar observations. Bragg components propagate approximately with phase velocities of linear gravity-capillary waves (when accounting for wind drift). Velocities of NBC scatterers depend on radar band, being the largest for S-band and the smallest at X-band, this means that different structures on the water surface are responsible for non Bragg scattering in a given radar band.
At present a sufficient amount of methods is offered for determining the characteristics of sea roughness in accordance with optical images of wavy water surface obtained from different near-shore constructions, sea platforms, vessels, aircraft and satellites. The most informative elements in this case are solar path and peripheral areas of the image free from sun glitters. However, underwater images of the surface obtained with the help of optical receiver located at a certain depth contain apart from the mentioned elements one more informative element– Snell’s window. It is an underwater sky image which distortions of border contain information on roughness characteristics and serve as the indicator of its variability. The research offers the method for determining energy spectra of wind waves in accordance with the second statistical moment of Snell’s window image. The results of testing of the offered method are provided based on natural images registered in the course of trip to the Black Sea under conditions of different wind and wave environment for clear surface and surface covered by surfactant films. For both cases frequency spectra of surface slopes are recovered and their good coincidence to the spectra received by processing of signals from a string wave recorder is established. Efficiency of application of the offered method for tasks of remote monitoring and environmental control of natural reservoirs is shown.
Investigation of the Doppler shift of radar return from the sea surface is very important for better understanding of capabilities of exploitation of microwave radar for measuring velocities of marine currents. Here new field experiments carried out from a Platform on the Black Sea with a coherent X-band scatterometer, and a Doppler multifrequency (X- /C-/S-band) dual-polarized radar recently designed at IAP RAS are discussed. It is shown that the radar return contains both Bragg (polarized) and non polarized scattering components, presumably giving different contributions to radar Doppler shifts. Radar Doppler shifts were estimated using two different definitions as a) a frequency of the “centre of gravity” of an instantaneous radar return spectrum (ASIS) averaged over periods of dominant wind waves and b) the “centre of gravity” of the averaged over dominant wave periods spectrum (SAS). The ASIS and SAS values for both VV and HH-polarizations are shown to be different due to effects of radar backscatter modulation by dominant (long) wind waves. The radar Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) has been analyzed from experimental data and difference between SAS- and ASIS-values has been satisfactory explained using the measured MTF-values. It is obtained that experimental values of ASIS can be satisfactory described by the Bragg model despite the significant contribution of NP component to the radar backscatter. A physical explanation of the effect is given.
In this paper new results of laboratory studies of damping of gravity-capillary waves on the water surface covered by kerosene are presented and compared with our previous analysis of characteristics of crude oil and diesel fuel films. Investigations of kerosene films were carried out in a wide range values of film thicknesses (from some hundreds millimetres to a few millimetres) and in a wide range of surface wave frequencies (from 10 to 27 Hz). The selected frequency range corresponds to the operating wavelengths of microwave, Х- to Ka-band radars typically used for the ocean remote sensing. The studied range of film thickness covers typical thicknesses of routine spills in the ocean. It is obtained that characteristics of waves, measured in the presence of oil derivatives films differ from those for crude oil films, in particular, because the volume viscosity of oil derivatives and crude oil is strongly different. To retrieve parameters of kerosene films from the experimental data the surface wave damping was analyzed theoretically in the frame of a model of two-layer fluid. The films are assumed to be soluble, so the elasticity on the upper and lower boundaries is considered as a function of wave frequency. Physical parameters of oil derivative films were estimated when tuning the film parameters to fit theory and experiment. Comparison between wave damping due to crude oil, kerosene and diesel fuel films have shown some capabilities of distinguishing of oil films from remote sensing of short surface waves.
Retrieving the water-leaving reflectance from airborne hyperspectral data implies to deal with three steps. Firstly, the radiance recorded by an airborne sensor comes from several sources: the real radiance of the object, the atmospheric scattering, sky and sun glint and the dark current of the sensor. Secondly, the dispersive element inside the sensor (usually a diffraction grating or a prism) could move during the flight, thus shifting the observed spectra on the wavelengths axis. Thirdly, to compute the reflectance, it is necessary to estimate, for each band, what value of irradiance corresponds to a 100% reflectance. We present here our calibration method, relying on the absorption features of the atmosphere and the near-infrared properties of common materials. By choosing proper flight height and flight lines angle, we can ignore atmospheric and sun glint contributions. Autocorrelation plots allow to identify and reduce the noise in our signals. Then, we compute a signal that represents the high frequencies of the spectrum, to localize the atmospheric absorption peaks (mainly the dioxygen peak around 760 nm). Matching these peaks removes the shift induced by the moving dispersive element. Finally, we use the signal collected over a Lambertian, unit-reflectance surface to estimate the ratio of the system's transmittances to its near-infrared transmittance. This transmittance is computed assuming an average 50% reflectance of the vegetation and nearly 0% for water in the near-infrared. Results show great correlation between the output spectra and ground measurements from a TriOS Ramses and the water-insight WISP-3.
Marine slicks are one of the most common features on the sea surface and a significant part of the slicks is a result of accidental or deliberate oil spills. The shape of oil slicks is their important characteristic that can be used to identify the nature of slick signatures in radar or optical images of the sea surface and possibly to describe them quantitatively. Nowadays, however, there is a lack of systematic experiments with slicks, and the very physical mechanisms of slick spreading are still not well understood. This paper presents results of controlled experiments with spills of surfactants, and a possible physical mechanism of slick asymmetry is discussed. Experiments with artificial film slicks were carried out in different environmental conditions: from an Oceanographic Platform on the Black Sea, and from a vessel on the Gorky Water Reservoir. Slick shape and its evolution were studied using photographic methods, and satellite radar imagery. In the satellite experiments surfactants were poured on the surface at certain time intervals before the satellite overpass. It is obtained that film spreading is not axial symmetric, and the spills are stretched along the wind, a long-to-short slick axis ratio weakly depends on spreading time and grows with wind speed. A physical mechanism of slick deformation due to mean surface currents induced by wind waves is proposed. Namely, drift currents induced by oblique propagating surface waves increase in film slicks due to enhanced wave damping and these currents result in reduced spreading rate in the cross wind direction. Theoretical analysis of slick spreading accounting for the effect of surface waves is presented, and theoretical estimates are shown to be consistent with experiment.
In this paper, an efficient sea surface generation is described for the fast and realistic simulation of the infrared emissivity and reflectivity of clean and contaminated seas. The clean sea surface is modelled by the Elfouhaily et al. spectrum model. For describing the surface damping due to the oil film at the sea surface, the model of local balance (MLB) is used. Thus, these surface models are used as the basis for calculating the emissivity and reflectivity. The numerical efficient computation is tested by comparison with the reference statistical computation for its validation.
Slicks on the sea surface are characterized by attenuation of short wind waves and appeаr in radar imagery at moderate incidence angles as areas of reduced intensity. In the proximity of oil platforms, ship routes, fish farms, etc. marine slicks are often identified as oil spills or biogenic films. However, probability of false alarm when detecting film slicks is very high because of the occurrence of structures in radar images looking similar but not related to surface films (“lookalikes”). One of the most frequent "look-alikes" is wind depression areas (WDAs) where the wind excitation of short surface waves is reduced compared to the ambient background. Results of field observations of films slicks and WDA are described and differences in character of wind wave attenuation in different parts of the wind wave spectrum are revealed. Model calculations of wave damping degree (contrast) in film slick and in WDA are carried out and are shown to be in general agreement with experiment. Capabilities of dual-polarization and multi-band microwave radar for discrimination between film slicks and “look-alikes” are analyzed based on experiment and model results.
Results of field experiments on radar imaging of surfactant films using satellite SAR (TerraSAR-X) co-located with Xband
and Ka-band radar (scatterometer) measurements are described and analyzed. The experiments were performed using surfactant films with pre-measured physical parameters, the surface tension and the film elasticity, at low to moderate wind and at different radar incidence angles. Contrasts characterizing depression of radar backscatter in slicks have been obtained. Theoretical analysis of radar contrasts for low-to-moderate incidence angles has been carried out based on a hydrodynamic model of wind wave damping due to films and on a composite radar imaging model. The
hydrodynamic model takes into account wave damping due to viscoelastic films, wind wave generation and a phenomenological term describing nonlinear limitation of the wind wave spectrum. The radar model takes into account Bragg scattering and specular scattering, the latter is usually negligible compared to the Bragg effect at moderate incidence angles (larger than 30-35 degrees), but is obtained to give noticeable contribution to radar backscattering at smaller incidence angles particularly for slick areas when cm-scale ripples is strongly depressed by films. Theoretical calculations of radar contrasts in slicks are compared with experiment.
The range – time optical images [1, 2] of capillary waves using artificial diffuse illumination of water surface like
sky illumination was derived in water tank. The software for processing of wave’s images was developed. The
technique for recording splashes appearing for strong winds is developed using range – time surface images.
The developed method can be used for investigation of free and bounded capillary waves, wave’s breaking,
action of internal waves on surface waves [3,4] and scattering of radio and acoustic waves by rough surface in
laboratory and natural conditions. The study of gravity-capillary waves in the tank of the IAP RAS was carried
out employing the developed optical system with artificial diffuse illumination.
Detection of oil films and their discrimination from, e.g., biogenic films is a very important ecological problem. Remote sensing methods, particularly, satellite methods are the most perspective for the problem solution. Films in the sea surface optical images can be seen because of changing a) the reflected radiance due to strong depression of short gravity-capillary waves by films and b) the reflection coefficient when considering light reflection from the upper and lower film boundaries. But the effects are strongly determined by film parameters. Natural biogenic films spread down to monomolecular layers and can be characterized by the elasticity and the surface tension coefficient. Oil films have finite thickness and wave damping due to these films is determined by larger number of physical parameters, than biogenic films, namely by the oil density, film thickness, viscosity and elasticity of two film boundaries, etc. Possibilities of filmslick detection and characterization using optical systems of low spatial resolution are analyzed. The threshold values of the film parameters at which film slicks can be detected with these systems are estimated at different observation/illumination conditions and wind regimes. The principal possibility to estimate the film parameters and to identify oil films is demonstrated using a theoretical model. Experimental verification of the model is presented based on measurements of the sea surface radiance contrast in slicks with known film parameters.
Field observations co-located and simultaneous with satellite radar imagery of biogenic slick bands on the sea
surface aimed to study relation between slicks and marine stream currents were carried out in the coastal zone of the
Black Sea. Measurements of the current velocities at different depths were performed using an acoustic Doppler current
profiler (ADCP) and surface floats. Samples of surfactant films inside/outside slick bands were collected from the water
surface with nets. The sampled films were reconstructed in laboratory conditions and measurements of the damping
coefficient of gravity-capillary waves and the surface tension were carried out using an original parametric wave method.
It is obtained that the banded slicks are characterized by enhanced concentration of surfactants due to their compression
by convergent current components. The slicks are revealed to be oriented along the stream currents and are located in the
zones of current shears. Small convergent transverse velocity components are observed near slick boundaries and are
responsible for slick formation in stream shear currents. Different examples of slicks formed by stream shear current are
described. Results of a case study of two streams of different directions merging and forming a banded slick in a shear
zone with convergent transverse current components are presented. Another case study is when a flow below a thermocline coming to the shore meets a bottom slope and a vertical current occurs resulting in horizontal divergence and convergence on the surface.
Modulation of short wind gravity-capillary waves (SGCW) due to long surface and internal waves in the presence of
surface films of different surfactant concentrations has been studied in wave tank and field experiments using Ka-band
radar. Wave tank experiments were carried out in the oval wind wave tank of the Institute of Applied Physics RAS at
different wind velocities (2 m/s to 5 m/s) and at two fetches. It was obtained that the Modulation Transfer Function
(MTF) magnitude in film slicks was several times larger than in non-slick areas, the phase of MTF was also changed in
the presence of films. Similar conclusions were made from field observations of radar backscatter modulation due to long surface and internal waves, here the effect of enhanced surface waves modulation in slick zones was revealed, too. Different physical mechanisms were taken into account to explain experiment, namely, geometrical effects, modulation of surfactant concentration, transformation of the wind velocity over the long wave profile. Theoretical analysis has demonstrated that the effect of enhanced modulation could not be explained using only the mechanisms mentioned above. MTF is assumed to be determined by the effect of bound components of short wind-wave spectrum.
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