Richard S. Keiffer
Naval Res. Lab., Code 7181, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
Jorge C. Novarini
Planning Systems, Inc., Slidell, LA 70458
Based on the refractive properties of the bubble clouds and the background (uniform) bubble layer and resonant scattering at the sea surface, a simple model is presented to estimate the backscattering from the ocean surface for frequencies below 1 kHz. This new model yields a dependence on the three fundamental variables, wind speed, grazing angle, and frequency, that is in general agreement with trends observed in reverberation-derived backscattering data. [Work supported by ONR.]