Wind redistribution of snow impacts the Ka- and Ku-band radar signatures of Arctic sea ice

Wind-driven redistribution of snow on sea ice alters its topography and microstructure, yet the impact of these processes on radar signatures is poorly understood. Here, we examine the effects of snow redistribution over Arctic sea ice on radar waveforms and backscatter signatures obtained from a surface-based, fully polarimetric Ka- and Ku-band radar at incidence angles between 0 degrees (nadir) and 50 degrees. Two wind events in November 2019 during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition are evaluated. During both events, changes in Ka- and Ku-band radar waveforms and backscatter coefficients at nadir are observed, coincident with surface topography changes measured by a terrestrial laser scanner. At both frequencies, redistribution caused snow densification at the surface and the uppermost layers, increasing the scattering at the air-snow interface at nadir and its prevalence as the dominant radar scattering surface. The waveform data also detected the presence of previous air-snow interfaces, buried beneath newly deposited snow. The additional scattering from previous air-snow interfaces could therefore affect the range retrieved from Ka- and Ku-band satellite altimeters. With increasing incidence angles, the relative scattering contribution of the air-snow interface decreases, and the snow-sea ice interface scattering increases. Relative to pre-wind event conditions, azimuthally averaged backscatter at nadir during the wind events increases by up to 8 dB (Ka-band) and 5 dB (Ku-band). Results show substantial backscatter variability within the scan area at all incidence angles and polarizations, in response to increasing wind speed and changes in wind direction. Our results show that snow redistribution and wind compaction need to be accounted for to interpret airborne and satellite radar measurements of snow-covered sea ice.

Automated summary

The redistribution of snow on sea ice driven by wind affects its topography and microstructure, but the impact on radar signatures is not well understood. In this study, the effects of snow redistribution on radar waveforms and backscatter signatures were examined using polarimetric Ka- and Ku-band radar. The results showed that snow redistribution caused changes in surface topography and increased scattering at the air-snow interface, which need to be considered to interpret radar measurements of snow-covered sea ice.