Comment on 'A study of the slope probability density functionof the ocean waves from radar observations' by D. Hauser et al.

摘要

After a close examination of their experimentalconditions it becomes clear that the source of disagreement is quite different from that suggested by Hauser et al. and the hint was in fact given in H05, that is, the mean square slope of the ocean surface is significantly modified by background waves. HCGM08 did not provde too muc information about the wind and wave conditions of theIr experiment. However, on the basis of the tabulate data presented in an earlier paper of the same experiment [Mouche et al., 2005], the wavefields .are stro.n.gly influenced by swell not related to the local WInd condition, In contrast, the database used in constructing the H05 spectrum is wind-sea dominant with mild swll preence (Section 3). Because radarremote sensing plays an increasingly more important role in oceanographic research and environmental monitoring, and that an accurate interpretation of the remote sensing measurement requires a correct understanding of the ocean surface roughness in response to various geophysical parameters of interest, such as wind, air-sea stability condition, waves of various scales and currents of various sources, a clarification of the properties ofthe ocean surface roughness spectrum is important. I hope this note serves to correct the misinterpretation given by Hauser et al. [2008] regarding the ocean surface roughness spectrum and to call attention the important role of a missing parameter - the background wave condition - In their analysis.