Radar Properties of Non-Rayleigh Sea Clutter

Measurements of sea clutter at low grazing angles using high- resolution radar show that the probability density p(x) of envelope detected sea clutter is not Rayleigh. Using the composite surface scattering model, a special varying clutter density p(x|σ0) is proposed and is used to explain the non-Rayleigh nature of clutter. Since the clutter distribution has an enormous effect on the performance of a radar, the variation of the clutter densities, p(x) and p(x|σ0), with various radar parameters such as frequency, pulsewidth, and polarization is found. Finally, a simulation of the composite surface scattering model is performed, and it verifies the effect of the various parameters on p(x).