An Evaluation of ERIM X-L Band Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery of Sea Ice.

Results of an evaluation of the ERIM X-L band airborne synthetic aperture radar imagery of sea ice in the Labrador Sea are given. Incident sea and swell and surface winds in this area produce complex and chaotic ice conditions with very rough surfaced ice breccias being the dominant form. It was pos...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ketchum,R D , Jr
Other Authors: NAVAL OCEAN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY NSTL STATION MS
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1978
Subjects:
Snow
Ice and Permafrost
Active & Passive Radar Detection & Equipment
Radiofrequency Wave Propagation
*SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR
*RADAR IMAGES
*SEA ICE
POLARIZATION
INTERFACES
AIRBORNE
WIND
SURFACE ROUGHNESS
CRYSTALLIZATION
BACKSCATTERING
PENETRATION
X BAND
L BAND
LABRADOR SEA
Surface properties
Subsurface interfaces
Floe distribution
Nilas
Ice floes
Breccia
WU3309332030
PE62759N
Ice
Labrador Sea
permafrost
Sea ice
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA079754
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA079754
Description
Summary:Results of an evaluation of the ERIM X-L band airborne synthetic aperture radar imagery of sea ice in the Labrador Sea are given. Incident sea and swell and surface winds in this area produce complex and chaotic ice conditions with very rough surfaced ice breccias being the dominant form. It was possible to extract more information concerning the ice conditions when using both radar frequencies and polarizations. Surface roughness differences and distribution were more accurately determined using the X-band radar imagery. Variations in the nature of the surface roughness are sometimes evident due to their varying polarizing effect on the X-band radar. Floe distribution is better displayed by the L-band radar imagery, but only minor differences were recorded by the two L-band radar polarizations. The analysis shows that the X-band radar is more sensitive to ice surface properties, but that surface penetration and subsurface interfaces may account for much of the L-band radar backscatter. There are some indications of X-band subsurface return and depolarization in some very early stages of ice development. This suggests that sea ice crystal structure, size, and orientation in these early stages of ice development may be important contributors to the backscatter and polarization effects on radar energy which has penetrated the surface. (Author)

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