Spectral and Angular Ground-Based Radar BackScatter Measurements of Greenland Snow Facies.
Snow facies, or melt zones, on the Greenland Ice Sheet are correlated with brightness patterns on spaceborne radar imagery [1] and [2]. To better relate radar scattering signatures to individual zones, we investigate the relationship between radar scattering and i%n physical properties. We operated...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.69.3866 http://www.ittc.ku.edu/publications/documents/Baumgartner1999_igarss99-1.pdf |
| Summary: | Snow facies, or melt zones, on the Greenland Ice Sheet are correlated with brightness patterns on spaceborne radar imagery [1] and [2]. To better relate radar scattering signatures to individual zones, we investigate the relationship between radar scattering and i%n physical properties. We operated surface-based radar systems at five different sites on the Cneenland Ice Sheet. In the dry snow zone the angular variation of the backscattering coefficient indicates that at high incidence angles the return energy is dominated by volume scattering. We also observe a systematically higher backscattering coefficient when the physical temperature is low and all the other parameters are identical. In the wet snow zone the backscatter coefficient is temporally dependant as the temperature variations affect the moisture content and modifies the spectral backscattered energy. The snow and ice surface roughnesses determine the angular respcnse. In the percolation zone, the backscatter coefficient is independent of the frequency and the angular response is also controlled by the ice structures (surface roughness, lenses, and pipes). 1. |
|---|