Radar Backscatter Measurements from Simulated Sea Ice During CRRELEX '90

Radar backscatter measurements were performed on artificially grown sea ice on an outdoor pond at the US. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) during the 1990 winter season. Measurements of microwave backscatter from simulated sea ice demonstrate that the dominant backscatter mechanism is the surface scatter. Both the co-polarized and cross-polarized measurements compare favorably with the predictions of surface scattering models at two frequencies. The surface parameters used in the models were measured directly from photographs of cross sections of the saline ice. Therefore, since two frequencies of backscatter measurements were predicted accurately by surface scatter models, the predominate backscatter must be from the surface.
Prepared in cooperation with Ohio State Univ, Byrd Polar Research Center, Columbus, Ohio.