{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T05:04:18Z","timestamp":1787029458433,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":61,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,10]],"date-time":"2024-06-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1717977600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Ministry of University and Research","award":["2022C3X37E"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022C3X37E"]}]},{"name":"Italian Ministry of University and Research","award":["I53D23002030006"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["I53D23002030006"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This paper presents an assessment of X-band radar\u2019s detection capability to monitor Small Garbage Islands (SGIs), i.e., floating aggregations of marine litter consisting chiefly of plastic, under changing sea states. For this purpose, two radar measurement campaigns were carried out with controlled releases at sea of SGI modules assembled in the laboratory. One campaign was carried out with a calm sea and almost no wind in order to determine the X-band radar system\u2019s detection capabilities in an ideal scenario, while the other campaign took place with rough seas and wind. An analysis of the data acquired during the campaigns confirmed that X-band radar can detect small aggregations of litter floating on the sea surface. To demonstrate the radar\u2019s ability to detect SGIs, a statistical analysis was carried out to calculate the probability of false alarm and the probability of detection for two releases at two different distances from the radar. For greater readability of this work, all of the results obtained are presented both in terms of radar intensity and in terms of the radar cross-section relating to both the targets and the clutter. Another interesting study that is presented in this article concerns the measurement of the speed of movement (drift) of the SGIs compared with the measurement of the speed of the surface currents provided at the same time by the radar. The study also identified the radar detection limits depending on the sea state and the target distance from the antenna.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs16122101","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,10]],"date-time":"2024-06-10T08:59:06Z","timestamp":1718009946000},"page":"2101","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["X-Band Radar Detection of Small Garbage Islands in Different Sea State Conditions"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6504-8668","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Serafino","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Bioeconomy of the Italian National Research Council, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Bianco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, 00144 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1016\/j.marpolbul.2019.03.022","article-title":"Global Ecological, Social and Economic Impacts of Marine Plastic","volume":"142","author":"Beaumont","year":"2019","journal-title":"Mar. 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