Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar Measurements of Snow Covered First-Year Sea Ice ...

• Main Author: Hossain, Md. Mosharraf
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Graduate Studies 2012
• Subjects: Physical Geography; Physical Oceanography; Remote Sensing; Engineering > Marine and Ocean; Microwave; Polarimetric SAR; Snow Cover; First-Year Sea Ice; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/prism/27377; https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/11023/252

This study examines the utility of fully polarimetric C-and SAR parameters and three-component scattering model to quantify the sensitivity of snow covered first-year sea ice (FYI) to radar incidence angles and surface air temperature (SAT) during the late winter transition. This three-component scattering model is based on surface, double-bounce and volume scattering contributed from various materials and surface properties. RADARSAT-2 C-band fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR) data is utilized to quantify the sensitivity of thermodynamic effects (-8° C and -0.4° C ) of the polarimetric backscatter signature on mean snow cover thickness ranging from 8 cm to 36 cm with in-situ geophysical data from four different validation sites along with two different radar incidence angles 29° (steep) and 39° (shallow) to discriminate between snow-covered smooth, rough and deformed FYI. The result shows enhanced discrimination at shallower incidence angles compared to steeper ones in both 2-D and 3-D ...