Scattering Properties of the Ocean Surface: The Miller-Brown-Vegh Model Revisited

We review the model of Miller-Brown-Vegh (MBV) that is commonly used to describe scattering from the ocean surface. The model has been built on two essential elements: the Kirchhoff approximation and an assumption regarding the probability distribution of the ocean surface elevations. A comparison with theoretical results preceeding the MBV model as well as with experimental data suggest that the MBV model is inconsistent with the predicted and observed probability distribution of sea waves. Here, a scattering model based on more rigorous statistics of the ocean surface is considered instead. The analysis we present offers an explanation as well as a remedy for the reported tendency of models describing propagation in evaporation ducts to overestimate the signal's intensity at the receiver.