Quantifying C-band scattering mechanisms from snow-covered first-year sea ice at the winter-spring transition

• Published in: 2017 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS)
• Main Authors: Komarov, Alexander S., Landy, Jack C., Komarov, Sergey A., Barber, David G.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 2017
• Subjects: Electromagnetic wave scattering; Layered media; Snow-covered sea ice; Surface and volume scattering; Cambridge Bay; Canada; Nunavut; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1983/ee872e4e-6002-452c-b0f3-d86ea7345556; https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/ee872e4e-6002-452c-b0f3-d86ea7345556; https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS.2017.8127943; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85041851700&partnerID=8YFLogxK

We present model and measurement results for time-series C-band normalized radar cross-sections (NRCS) over first-year snow-covered sea ice during a winter-spring transition period. Experimental scatterometer and physical data were collected near Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada between May 20 and May 28, 2014 covering a severe storm event on May 25. We observed good agreement between model and experimental HH and VV NRCS. Before the storm, the large-scale surface scattering and volume scattering components dominated. After the storm, the large-scale scattering contribution increased, while the volume scattering contribution considerably dropped. Surface scattering from the small-scale component of the air-snow interface became significant at high incidence angles. We attribute these effects to the increase in surface roughness and snow moisture content during the post-storm period. Our results provide a physical basis for interpretation of time-series SAR images over sea ice at the winter-spring transition.