Ocean Wave Slope Statistics from Automated Analysis of Sun Glitter Photographs

摘要

The image of the sun reflected from the rough surface of the sea forms a diffuse pattern, whose details depend on the nature of the surface waves and swell. Consequently, statistics of the slope distribution of the sea surface are related to the statistics of the sun's glitter on the sea surface. Aerial photographs are a convenient medium for recording the glitter pattern. The mathematical relationship to derive the sea surface slope statistics can be determined from an analysis of the imaging geometry. However, analysis of the photographs can be a labor-intensive procedure. The problem was first studied over thirty years ago. Now, there are modern digital image processing systems and techniques that greatly increase the practicality of the analysis. This report derives the relevant equations and describes an implementation on the Interactive Digital Satellite Image Processing System (IDSIPS). The IDSIPS system is operated by the Remote Sensing Branch of the Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity (NORDA). The report includes full formal documentation of the computer software. (Author)