A wave tank study of the dependence of X band cross sections on wind speed and water temperature

The effects of varying the water temperature, wind speed, and wind stress on the values of backscatter were investigated using measurements of normalized radar cross sections of wind-generated waves, made at X band for both vertical and horizontal polarization for incidence angles 10, 28, 48, and 68 deg. The experiment was conducted using the Naval Research Laboratory wind-wave tank. Measurements made for a wide range of wind speeds and water temperatures are compared with results of backscattering models currently in use.