Abstract.Review of several recent ocean surface wave models finds that while comprehensive in many regards, these spectral models do not satisfy certain additional, but fundamental, criteria. We propose that these criteria include the ability to properly describe diverse fetch conditions and to provide agreement with in situ observations of 1973] at the high wavenumbers. The omnidirectional and wind-dependent spectrum is constructed to agree with past and recent observations including the criteria mentioned above. The key feature of this model is the similarity of description for the high-and low-wavenumber regimes; both forms are posed to stress that the air-sea interaction process of friction between wind and waves (i.e., generalized wave age, u/c) is occurring at all wavelengths simultaneously. This wave age parameterization is the unifying feature of the spectrum. The spectrum's directional spreading function is symmetric about the wind direction and has both wavenumber and wind speed dependence. A ratio method is described that enables comparison of this spreading function with previous noncentrosymmetric forms. Radar data are purposefully excluded from this spectral development. Finally, a test of the spectrum is made by deriving roughness length using the boundary layer model of Kitaigorodskii. Our inference of drag coefficient versus wind speed and wave age shows encouraging agreement with Humidity Exchange Over the Sea (HEXOS) campaign results.

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In recent years, it has become apparent that as the incidence angle increases from nadir, the ratio of the backscattered power for microwave scattering from the ocean surface at horizontal to that at vertical polarization (HWVV) becomes larger than that predicted by standard rough-surface scattering models. Although predictions by models that include the effects of long-wave tilt and hydrodynamic modulation yield some improvement, they still underpredict the backscattered power by a factor of two or more. We believe that this discrepancy may be partially explained by a more exact treatment of the non-linearity of the long-wave portion of the surface.