Measurements of sea surface slopes by laser sensing from a space vehicle

Abstract

The measurement errors of dispersions of sea surface slopes using spacecraft lidar were analyzed. The errors caused by deviations of the actual wave field from the Gaussian isotropic surface were considered. It is revealed that the unaccounted deviations of slope distributions from the Gaussian distribution lead to a systematic underestimation of the calculated slope dispersion by approximately 11–14%. In addition, it is revealed that the anisotropy of slopes during their dispersion calculation using the data of vertical laser sensing from space vehicle can be neglected.