The Problem of Reconstructing the Profile of the Sea Surface from the Video Image of Laser Beams

Currently, there are no remote methods for recording the instantaneous two-dimensional profile of the sea surface Z(x, y, t) in field conditions, nor are there any methods for recording capillary wave profiles directly on the sea surface. The short-wavelength component of sea waves plays a very important role in radiometry in the formation of the surface’s own radiation and in solving inverse radar problems. This article proposes an optical measurement technique that can measure the parameters of the entire wave spectrum, including capillary waves with amplitude of less than 0.1 mm. However, the author has not yet been able to fully solve the inverse problem of reconstructing the two-dimensional wave profile. The author considered it expedient to formulate this problem and involve the scientific community in its successful solution. Obtaining the profile of sea waves Z(x, y, t) in natural conditions with a high update rate will yield complete information about the characteristics of waves, temporal and spatial spectra of elevations, spectra of slopes; it will also be possible to study the evolution of waves when the wind changes. The possibility of recording and studying the short-wavelength components of waves, including capillary waves, is of particular value.