Measurement of capillary waves with a laser wave recorder

Objectives. Capillary waves on the sea surface play an important role in remote sensing, both in the optical and microwave wavelength ranges. However, processes of electromagnetic radiation scattering on a rough sea surface cannot be studied in the absence of reliable monitoring of the parameters of these capillary waves under natural conditions. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to develop methods for such monitoring purposes and test them under laboratory and field conditions.

Methods. Novel laser-based methods for recording capillary waves at frequencies up to 100 Hz were developed in the laboratory. The proposed remote methods, which do not interfere with the sea surface, are based on the recording of scattered laser radiation using a video camera.

Results. Under laboratory conditions, spatial profiles, time dependences of heights for all points of a laser sweep trajectory, and frequency power spectra were obtained. It is shown that slopes in capillary waves can reach 30° and that the amplitude of capillary waves at frequencies above 25 Hz does not exceed 0.5 mm. A new version of a scanning laser wave recorder was tested under natural conditions on an offshore platform. The measurements confirmed the possibility of measuring the parameters of sea waves on spatial scales covering 3 orders of magnitude: from units of millimeters to units of meters.

Conclusions. The developed wave recorder can be used to carry out direct measurements of “instantaneous” sea surface profiles with a time synchronization precision of 10^-4 s and a spatial accuracy of better than 0.5 mm. The method makes it possible to obtain large series (21000) of «instantaneous» wave profiles with a refresh rate of 60 Hz, which opens up opportunities for studying the physics of wave evolution and the influence of wave parameters on the scattering of electromagnetic waves. The advantage of the method is the direct nature of the measurement of applicates and other wave characteristics not only in time but also in space. The entirely remote method does not distort the properties of the surface and is not affected by wind, waves, or sea currents. The possibility of using the proposed method under natural conditions at any time of the day and in a wide range of weather conditions has been experimentally ascertained.

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