UW-Scat: A Ground-Based Dual-Frequency Scatterometer for Observation of Snow Properties

Author

King, J.M.L. ; Kelly, R. ; Kasurak, A. ; Duguay, C. ; Gunn, G. ; Mead, J.B.

Author_Institution

Interdiscipl. Center on Climate Change & with the Dept. of Geogr. & Environ. Manage., Univ. of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

Volume

10

Issue

3

fYear

2013

fDate

May-13

Firstpage

528

Lastpage

532

Abstract

The University of Waterloo scatterometer, which is a system developed for observation of snow and ice properties, is described. The system is composed of two frequency-modulated continuous-wave radars operating at center frequencies of 17.2 and 9.6 GHz. A field-deployable platform allows a rapid setup and observation at remote sites under harsh environmental conditions. A two-axis positioning system moves the radar beam across a user-programmable range of azimuth (±180°) and elevation angles (15°-105°). Typical azimuth scans of 60° angular width generate between 21 and 586 independent samples, depending on the wavelength and the elevation angle. The backscatter response of terrestrial snow in the Canadian Subarctic is demonstrated with two experiments conducted in Churchill, MB, Canada, between 2009 and 2011.

Keywords

geophysical equipment; snow; AD 2009 to 2011; Canada; Canadian Subarctic; Churchill; UW-Scat scatterometer; University of Waterloo scatterometer; angular width; azimuth user-programmable range; elevation angle; frequency 17.2 GHz; frequency 9.6 GHz; frequency-modulated continuous-wave radars; ground-based dual-frequency scatterometer; harsh environmental conditions; ice property observation; radar beam; snow property observation; terrestrial snow; two-axis positioning system; Backscatter; Calibration; Ice; Radar measurements; Radio frequency; Snow; Spaceborne radar; Radar polarimetry; scatterometer; snow;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1545-598X

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/LGRS.2012.2212177

Filename

6302172