Nonlinear internal wave amplitude remote sensing from SAR imagery

The amplitude of internal waves is very difficult to retrieve from satellite. In this paper, a method is given to estimate the amplitude of nonlinear internal waves from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. It is assumed that the observed groups of nonlinear internal wave packets on SAR imagery are generated by local semidiurnal tides. The mean distance between the leading crest of two successive wave packets has been used to derive the group velocity of the nonlinear internal waves. The amplitude of nonlinear internal waves has been calculated from a model which consists of the KdV equation, action balance equation and Bragg scattering model. Case studies in China Seas show reasonable results.