Radar Backscatter Statistics From Water Waves

Instantaneous backscatter cross sections were measured in a wavetank with a coherent, vertically polarized Ka-band radar , with a footprint of 24 by 35 cm. The first order probability density was found to follow the K-distribution exceedingly well. The distribution exhibited a large tail at low wind speed, but became almost exponentially distributed at a wind fri ction velocity of about 40 cm/s and above. The