Radar Backscatter Study of Sea Ice.

• Main Authors: Onstott,R G, Dome,George J, Delker,Clifford V, Patel,Javed S, Moore,R K
• Other Authors: KANSAS UNIV/CENTER FOR RESEARCH INC LAWRENCE REMOTE SENSING LAB
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1980
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Active & Passive Radar Detection & Equipment; *TARGET DISCRIMINATION; *RADAR CROSS SECTIONS; *SEA ICE; MEASUREMENT; ALASKA; BACKSCATTERING; SURFACE TARGETS; LAKES; X BAND; S BAND; L BAND; CROSS POLARIZATION; K BAND; Angular response; First year ice; Point Barrow; Multiyear ice; Ice discriminators; Scatterometers; Lake ice; Ice Point; Barrow; Ice; permafrost; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA087032; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA087032

The ability to use radar to discriminate ice types has been investigated. Radar backscatter measurements were made of shorefast sea ice near Point Barrow, Alaska in May 1977 and April 1978, with a surface-based FM-CW scatterometer that swept from 1-2 GHz and from 8.5-17.5 GHz. The 1-2 GHz measurements showed that thick first-year and multiyear sea ice cannot be distinguished at 10 deg-70 deg incidence angles, but that undeformed sea ice can be discriminated from pressure-ridged thick first-year sea ice and lake ice. Results also indicate that frequencies between 8-18 GHz have the ability to discriminate between thick first-year sea ice, multiyear sea ice, and lake ice. The lowest frequency, 9 GHz, was found to provide the greatest separation between these ice categories with significant levels of separation existing between angles of incidence from 15 deg to 70 deg. The radar cross-sections for the like polarizations, VV and HH, were very similar in absolute level and angular response. The radar cross-sections for VV-polarization were usually the highest in absolute level. Cross-polarization provided a slightly greater separation between these categories of ice.