An Investigation into the Effects of Variable Lake Ice Properties on Passive and Active Microwave Measurements Over Tundra Lakes Near Inuvik, N.W.T.

• Main Author: Gunn, Grant Edward
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Waterloo 2010
• Subjects: Lake Ice; Ice Types; Remote Sensing; X-band; Snow Water Equivalent; Active Microwave; Passive Microwave; SAR; Geography; Arctic; Inuvik; Northwest Territories; Tundra
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5563

The accurate estimation of snow water equivalent (SWE) in the Canadian sub-arctic is integral to climate variability studies and water availability forecasts for economic considerations (drinking water, hydroelectric power generation). Common passive microwave (PM) snow water equivalent (SWE) algorithms that utilize the differences in brightness temperature (Tb) at 37 GHz – 19 GHz falter in lake-rich tundra environments because of the inclusion of lakes within PM pixels. The overarching goal of this research was to investigate the use of multiple platforms and methodologies to observe and quantify the effects of lake ice and sub-ice water on passive microwave emission for the purpose of improving snow water equivalent (SWE) retrieval algorithms. Using in situ snow and ice measurements as input, the Helsinki University of Technology (HUT) multi-layer snow emission model was modified to include an ice layer below the snow layer. Emission for 6.9, 19, 37 and 89 GHz were simulated at horizontal and vertical polarizations, and were validated by high resolution airborne passive microwave measurements coincident with in situ sampling sites over two lakes near Inuvik, Northwest Territories (NWT). Overall, the general magnitude of brightness temperatures were estimated by the HUT model for 6.9 and 19 GHz H/V, however the variability was not. Simulations produced at 37 GHz exhibited the best agreement relative to observed temperatures. However, emission at 37 GHz does not interact with the radiometrically cold water, indicating that ice properties controlling microwave emission are not fully captured by the HUT model. Alternatively, active microwave synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements can be used to identify ice properties that affect passive microwave emission. Dual polarized X-band SAR backscatter was utilized to identify ice types by the segmentation program MAGIC (MAp Guided Ice Classification). Airborne passive microwave transects were grouped by ice type classes and compared to backscatter measurements. In ...