Radar imaging of thermal fronts

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Abstract
The paper investigates the physics of radar backscatter across sea surface temperature fronts using a simple drag model followed by actual airborne radar observations. The model predicts large changes in radar cross section for low wind speed conditions. The X-band (9–43 GHz) Real Aperture Radar (RAR) observations in the vicinity of the sea surface temperature fronts show that radar cross-section variations are largely dependent on the local wind direction with respect to the front and the change in wind stress response at the front and feedbacks from the larger scale buoyancy driven circulation. Other radar imaging mechanisms are discussed.