volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

The performance assessment of maritime microwave communications and radar systems requires accounting simultaneously for the non-homogeneous propagation medium over the sea and the rough sea surface scattering. The tropospheric ducting, specific for over water propagation, is one of the most difficult to treat propagation mechanisms. The proposed work combines a recently published in the literature phase correction, responsible for the shadowing effects, to the Ament rough surface reflection coefficient and the Parabolic Equation method (as implemented in the Advanced Propagation Model) to simulate the microwave propagation over the sea under evaporation duct conditions. Propagation factor and path loss results calculated for phase-corrected Ament, non-phase-corrected Ament and the other widely used, Miller-Brown, rough surface reflection coefficient are compared and discussed. The main effects from the accounting of the shadowing result in the shift of the interference minima and maxima of the propagation factor, changes in the path loss pattern and destruction of the trapping property of the duct.

1. ITU-R P.453-9 "The radio refractive index: Its formula and refractivity data,", Vol. 27, ITU, 2003. Google Scholar

2. Kerr, D. E., Propagation of Short Radio Waves, Peninsula Publishing, Los Altos, 1988.
doi:10.1175/2008JAMC1961.1

3. Lopez, P. H., "A 5-yr 40-km-resolution global climatology of superrefraction for ground-based weather radars," J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., Vol. 48, 89-110, Jan. 2009.
doi:10.1109/8.387177 Google Scholar

4. Anderson, K. D., "Radar detection of low-altitude targets in a maritime environment," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 43, No. 6, 609-613, Jun. 1995. Google Scholar

5. Woods, G. S., A. J. Kerans, and D. L. Maskell, "Simulated angle-of-arrival measurements for an over ocean microwave radio link," Proc. URSI Commission F Triennium Open Symposium, 200-207, Cairns, Australia, Jun. 2004.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2006.882163 Google Scholar

6. Barrios, A. E., K. Anderson, and G. Lindem, "Low altitude propagation effects --- A validation study of the advanced propagation model (APM) for mobile radio applications," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 54, No. 10, 2869-2877, Oct. 2006.
doi:10.1002/mop.20314 Google Scholar

7. Sirkova, I. and M. Mikhalev, "Parabolic-equation-based study of ducting effects on microwave propagation," J. Microw. Opt. Technol. Letters, Vol. 42, No. 5, 390-394, Sep. 2004. Google Scholar

8. Gunashekar, S. D., E. M. Warrington, D. R. Siddle, and P. Valtr, "Signal strength variations at 2 GHz for three sea paths in the British channel islands: Detailed discussion and propagation modeling," Radio Sci., Vol. 42, RS4020, Aug. 2007, doi: 10.1029/2006RS003617.
doi:10.1175/1520-0450(1997)036<0193:ANMOTO>2.0.CO;2 Google Scholar

9. Babin, S. M., G. S. Young, and J. A. Carton, "A new model for the oceanic evaporation duct," J. Appl. Meteor., Vol. 36, No. 3, 193-204, Mar. 1997. Google Scholar

10. Von Engeln, A. and J. Teixeira, "A ducting climatology derived from ECMWF global analysis fields," J. Geophys. Res., Vol. 109, D18104, Sep. 2004, doi: 10.1029/2003JD004380. Google Scholar

11. ITU-R P.452-11 "Prediction procedure for the evaluation of microwave interference between stations on the surface of the earth at frequencies above about 0.7 GHz,", 38, ITU, 2003.
doi:10.1007/s11277-005-0745-0 Google Scholar

12. Milas, V. F. and P. H. Constantinou, "Interference environment between high altitude platform networks (HAPN), geostationary (GEO) satellite and wireless terrestrial systems," Wireless Personal Communications, Vol. 32, No. 3-4, 257-274, Feb. 2005.
doi:10.1029/91RS00109 Google Scholar

13. Kuttler, J. R. and G. D. Dockery, "Theoretical description of the parabolic approximation/fourier split-step method of representing electromagnetic propagation in the troposphere," Radio Sci., Vol. 26, No. 2, 381-393, Mar.-Apr. 1991.
doi:10.1049/PBEW045E Google Scholar

14. Levy, M., Parabolic Equation Methods for Electromagnetic Wave Propagation , The Institution of Electrical Engineers, 2000.
doi:10.1109/8.833076

15. Donohue, D. J. and J. R. Kuttler, "Propagation modeling over terrain using the parabolic wave equation," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 48, No. 2, 260-277, Feb. 2000.
doi:10.1109/8.272306 Google Scholar

16. Barrios, A., "A terrain parabolic equation model for propagation in the troposphere," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 42, No. 1, 90-98, Jan. 1994.
doi:10.1080/02726340500486484 Google Scholar

17. Sirkova, I. and M. Mikhalev, "Parabolic wave equation method applied to the tropospheric ducting propagation problem --- A survey," Electromagnetics, Vol. 26, No. 2, 155-173, Feb. 2006.
doi:10.1109/JRPROC.1953.274171 Google Scholar

18. Ament, W. S., "Toward a theory of reflection by a rough surface," Proc. IRE, Vol. 41, No. 1, 142-146, Jan. 1953. Google Scholar

19. Miller, A. R., R. M. Brown, and E. Vegh, "New derivation for the rough surface reflection coefficient and for the distribution of sea-wave elevations," IEE Proc. Microwaves, Optics and Antennas, Vol. 131, Part H, No. 2, 114-116, Apr. 1984.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2006.872669 Google Scholar

20. Freund, D. E., N. E. Woods, H.-C. H. Ku, and R. S. Awadallah, "Forward radar propagation over a rough sea surface: A numerical assessment of the Miller-Brown approximation using a horizontally polarized 3-GHz line source," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 54, No. 4, 1292-1304, Apr. 2006.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2008.919177 Google Scholar

21. Hristov, T. S., K. D. Anderson, and C. A. Friehe, "Scattering properties of the ocean surface: The Miller-Brown-Vegh model revisited," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 56, No. 4, 1103-1109, Apr. 2008.
doi:10.1080/17455030802033895 Google Scholar

22. Freund, D. E., N. E. Woods, H.-C. Ku, and R. S. Awadallah, "The effects of shadowing on modelling forward radar propagation over a rough sea surface," Waves in Random and Complex Media, Vol. 18, No. 3, 387-408, Aug. 2008.
doi:10.2528/PIER05090101 Google Scholar

23. Fabbro, V., C. Bourlier, and P. F. Combes, "Forward propagation modelling above Gaussian rough surfaces by the parabolic wave equation: Introduction of the shadowing effect," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 58, 243-269, 2006. Google Scholar

24. Barrios, A. E. and W. L. Patterson, "Advanced propagation model (APM) Computer software configuration item (CSCI) documents," Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Tech., Doc. 3145, 479, San Diego, CA, 2002. Google Scholar

25. Awadallah, R. S., "Rough surface scattering and propagation over rough terrain in ducting environments,", Doctoral Dissertation, 189, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacks-burg, Virginia, 1998.
doi:10.1109/MAP.2010.5586576 Google Scholar

26. Apaydin, G. and L. Sevgi, "The split-step-fourier and finite-element based parabolic-equation propagation prediction tools: Canonical tests, systematic comparisons, and calibration," IEEE Antennas Propag. Magazine, Vol. 52, No. 3, 66-79, Jun. 2010.
doi:10.1109/8.546245 Google Scholar

27. Dockery, G. D. and J. R. Kuttler, "An improved impedance-boundary algorithm for Fourier split-step solutions of the parabolic wave equation," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 44, No. 12, 1592-1599, Dec. 1996. Google Scholar

28. Recommendations and Reports of the CCIR "Propagation in non-ionized media," CCIR XVth Plenary Assembly, Vol. 5, ITU, Geneva, Dubrovnik, 1986. Google Scholar

29. Rotheram, S., "Radiowave propagation in the evaporation duct," Marconi Review, Vol. 37, No. 192, 18-40, 1974. Google Scholar

30. Paulus, R. A. and K. D. Anderson, "Application of an evaporation duct climatology in the littoral," Proc. Battlespace Atmospheric and Cloud Impacts on Military Operations, BACIMO, 1-9, Fort Collins, Colorado, Apr. 2000.
doi:10.1109/TGRS.2004.826783 Google Scholar

31. Smith Jr., J. R., S. J. Russell, B. E. Brown, P. M. Haldeman Jr., D. D. Hayden, D. G. Morgan, R. D. Pierce, J. W. Shan "Electromagnetic forward-scattering measurements over a known, controlled sea surface at low grazing," IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sensing, Vol. 42, No. 6, 1197-1207, Jun. 2004.
doi: --- Either ISSN or Journal title must be supplied. Google Scholar

Dr. Irina Sirkova