Project Noordwijk, part 5: Analysis of the fading component of the radar backscatter

The variation of the fading component of radar backscatter from the sea through time is assessed by a series of descriptors for its spectra and its autocorrelation function derived from 6 min time series. Modulation was determined using the modulation index to study its dependency on grazing angle. The autocorrelation functions provide 2 decorrelation times, a short one of 7 to 9 msec associated with the capillaries and short gravity waves in resonance with the radar waves, and a second one on the order of 0.3 sec associated with the facets.