C-Band Scatterometer Measurements of Multiyear Sea Ice Before Fall Freeze-Up in the Canadian Arctic

Backscatter signatures of multiyear sea ice (MYI) during the late summer and early fall season before the fall freeze-up in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) have been obtained through the use of a ship-based polarimetric scatterometer. The device operates in C-band, and measurements were conducted in swaths from incidence angles of 20 degrees-60 degrees. Three characteristic sites on MYI floes were investigated in the high Arctic and the central Arctic regions. In situ snow and sea-ice thermophysical data were collected at each site in conjunction with local scatterometer measurements. The thermophysical data were subsequently analyzed using dielectric modeling techniques and coupled with the backscattering measurements (sigma degrees). Observed backscatter values and ratios were found to be in agreement with literature data, with volumetric scattering as the dominant scattering mechanism.