Synthetic aperture radar imaging is an effective tool for imaging the sea surface because of its response to changes in sea surface roughness. This allows for the remote sensing of features on the sea surface, which modulate se surface roughness. In this work, 18 synthetic aperture radar images were collected from the TerraSAR-X and RADARSAT-2 satellites in the Port Everglades, Florida area. In-situ measurements were collected in conjunction with the satellite images in order to provide more information on the features visible in the imagery, and aid in identification of the origin of the features. Information on ships in the area of the satellite image footprints was collected using an automatic information system. Weather conditions were recorded by a meteorological station and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radar station. Waves and currents in the observational area were recorded with acoustic Doppler current profilers and wave gauges. Sonar systems and conductivity, depth, and salinity profilers were used to identify stratification in the water column. Surfactant release experiments were also conducted to explore the affects of surface active materials. Results of the experiment show the manifestation of atmospheric effects, oceanic fronts and eddies, wind shadowing, natural and artificial slicks, and ships and ship wakes on the synthetic aperture radar imagery. Atmospheric conditions were found to play a significant role in the visibility of features on the sea surface, and sometimes masked the appearance of features on the ocean surface. Overall the most reliable feature capable of being imaged on the sea surface by the synthetic aperture radar satellites was the signatures of ships and their wakes.

Ce mémoire présente une étude expérimentale des effets de confinement de la voie d'eau et de courant sur les sillages et la résistance à l'avancement des navires. Deux formes de carènes génériques et représentatives de navires maritimes et fluviaux ont fait l'objet de mesures dans le bassin des carènes de l'Institut Pprime dans différentes configurations bathymétriques. Des méthodes de mesure de déformée de surface libre par moyens optiques stéréoscopiques ont été mises en place pour caractériser les sillages générés. L'étendue spatiale et la résolution des mesures optiques permet de mener une analyse fine du sillage dans l'espace spectral, afin de le décomposer en une composante hydrodynamique dans le champ proche de la carène et une composante ondulatoire dans le champ lointain. Les résultats obtenus dans une configuration de voie d'eau profonde mettent en évidence la non-linéarité des sillages. Les résultats obtenus dans une configuration de voie d'eau peu profonde mettent en avant une modification de la forme des sillages et une répartition différente de l'énergie entre les différents systèmes de vagues. L'influence de la forme et de la vitesse des navires sur l'amplitude de la réponse hydrodynamique et du courant de retour est mise en avant. Des mesures en présence de contre-courant montrent une augmentation de l'amplitude des vagues du sillage et un élargissement de la zone de réflexion au niveau des parois du canal. Des mesures de forces de traînée avec un dynamomètre donnent accès aux courbes de résistance dans chaque configuration. L'augmentation de la résistance à l'avancement en eau peu profonde est mise en parallèle avec l'augmentation de l'amplitude et de la longueur d'onde des ondes transverses. / This thesis presents an experimental study of the effects of the waterway confinement and the current on ships wakes and drag. Two generic hulls representative of maritime and river ships have been studied in several bathymetric configurations in the towing tank of the Institut Pprime. Optical measurement methods based on a stereovision principle have been set up to measure the free surface deformations. The spatial extent and the resolution permits to lead a fine analysis of the wakes in the spectral space in order to decompose them into a hydrodynamic component and an undulatory component, respectively in the near-field and the far-field of the ship hull. The results obtained in a deep waterway configuration highlight the non-linearity of the ship wakes, which results in a modification of the shape of the envelop of the wave field in the real space. The results obtained in a shallow waterway configuration show a modification of the shape of the ship wakes and a different distribution of the energy between the wave systems. The influence of the shape and the speed of the ships on the amplitude of the hydrodynamic response and the return current is also identified. The comparison of the measurements in the presence of a counter-current with the results in calm water show an increase of the amplitude of the waves and an enlargement of the wash zone on the walls of the canal. Drag forces measurements with a multicomponent dynamometer give access to resistance curves for each configuration. The increase of the ship resistance in shallow water is put in parallel with the increase of the amplitude and the wavelength of the transverse waves.