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SAR Images of Nash Bank
Images courtesy of ESA
The ATC has recently completed two collaborative projects which demonstrate the benefits of Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) observations of large-scale ocean features, in combination with models of the current flow around these features.
The first project studies the use of along-track interferometry to make direct measurements of the surface currents. The second project interprets the radar image modulations caused by shallow water bathymetry. Both projects were funded by the British National Space Centre, supported by company funds.
Along-track interferometry (ATI) from SAR is a promising new technique for measuring and mapping the spatial structure of ocean surface velocities. Such measurements have the potential to improve models of ocean circulation in both deep and shallow waters. The fundamental principle is that the interferometric combination of two complex SAR images, acquired with a short time lag, is sensitive to the line-of-sight velocity. The technique is therefore sensitive to the effects of all the factors which contribute to motion of the sea surface, including waves and currents.
