Laser and Microwave Observations of Sea-Surface Condition for Fetch-Limited 17- to 25-m/s Winds

The variability of sea-surface conditions has been observed from a low-flying aircraft by a laser-wave profiling system and a scanning horizontally polarized 19.35-GHz passive microwave radiometer for fetch-limited wind speeds of 17 to 25 m/s in the North Sea. Wave profiles obtained with the laser system have been analyzed and show that wave growth occurs simultaneously at all frequencies and that an equilibrium value for the higher frequency components is eventually reached, but not before substantially higher (overshoot) values are obtained. Simultaneous observations of the microwave brightness temperature at vertical incidence show an increase with wind speed (or roughness of the sea surface) of 1°K/m/s. This increase, not in accord with theory, is shown to be a function of the percentage of foam coverage of the ocean surface.