Study of the Characteristics of Internal Waves in the East (Japan) Sea by Synthetic Aperture Radar-ERS-1/2, RADARSAT, and ENVISAT ASAR

Hydrographic data obtained from several ship experiments have shown that internal waves are frequently observed in the East (Japan) Sea, mostly in the continental slopes located along the western side of the East Sea. It is well known that oceanic internal waves can be detected well in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Interactions between surface capillary-gravity waves and horizontally varying surface currents induced by internal waves produce variations in sea surface roughness which can be detected by SAR. C-band SAR images from ERS, ENVISAT ASAR and RADARSAT have been used to study the characteristics of internal waves in the East Sea. The observed properties of internal waves from many SAR images were compared and verified from in-situ measurements and theories.