CompuServe Thread

Hi, Jeff– The December 1982 Scientific American has an article "Radar Images of the Earth from Space" which discusses both how synthetic aperture radar works and how it is useful in mapping features of the Earth (and Venus!) that cannot be seen by ordinary means. When I speak of "underneath the surface", I mean the rock underlaying sand and ice, if not too deep. If you have seen the photo-like maps of Venus, you know what the product can be like. May 1993 has an article on "The Power of Maps" which shows a lot of image-processed satellite maps. –Doug #108236 S2/Physics 27-Sep-93 14:40:07 Sb: #108201-#Synthetic Aperture Radar Fm: Mark Tanouye 71171,1113 To: Peggy Sheets 70007,2135 (X) << I am studying ocean currents and submarine detection. I would be happy if you could provide any help.>> Well, the use of SAR in oceanographic work has been an active field for many years now and there is a wealth of information out there. It's hard to provide specific information to you without knowing a little more. SAR applied to ocean currents in itself is a big, big field. I don't personally do work in this area, but if you go to any large library, especially the science or engineering library of a nearby college, look for a periodical called PE & RS, or Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing. It's a good place to start, and you might also want to check any publications by the IEEE, a society for electrical engineers. They have a number of titles that may apply to your problem. Also, check for any annual report, symposium collection, or other book documenting the many annual meeting of the many societies invovled with SAR. There are invariably many articles and references that will lead you to more sources. The government, Navy in particular, has done much work on using SAR to image targets, moving and stationary. These results are published and are probably available to you as well. And don't forget to look for remote sensing textbooks for good overviews of the physical mechanics of SAR (I can tell you pretty much *how* it works, but you seem to need more info about "applications" rather than "theory". Ocean waves can be imaged distinctly with SAR, and coastal features like wave diffraction are easily seen. There has been a lot of work in using SAR imagery to study ice floes, an exploitation of SAR's ability to penetrate clouds and operate in darkness. An interesting feature of SAR is the fact that if a moving target is imaged, its motion introduces a Doppler shift that results in a shifting in the apparent position of the object on the picture you get. There is also lots of interest in how SAR is complemented by other remote sensing methods, particularly microwave sensing, to solve problems. I only have experience in radar imaging in air. Some of my colleagues work with SEABEAM, a towed underwater radar gizmo that seems to work really well. GLORIA, another system, has been extensively used to image the ocean floor, particularly underwater landslides. Well, that's not much in the way of info, but if I can provide any other help, including specific sources you can search for, please let me know. —>Mark

Hi, Ed– I quite agree – students might often be well advised to work for a year or two before going to college. I know I am often peeved at myself for not taking full advantage of my college's learning opportunities while I was there. I would get a lot more out of it if I were to try again. –Doug