Title :
Snow and ice characterization studies using a radar altimeter
Author :
Zaugg, David A. ; Jensen, Michael A.
Author_Institution :
Center for Earth Remote Sensing, Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT, USA
Abstract :
A Ku-band radar altimeter has been deployed above a layer of snow to explore the effectiveness of a new method for snow depth measurement. This method takes advantage of the effect of the reflection coefficient of the snow layer on the transmitted chirped pulse to determine the snow depth. The snow layer and the ground are modeled as dielectric layers. The magnitude of the reflection coefficient from such a model varies with the frequency of the transmitted signal, and that variation changes in frequency as the depth of the dielectric layer changes. This is used to determine the depth of the snow. Experimental data is used to support the method
Keywords :
hydrological techniques; ice; radar cross-sections; radar theory; remote sensing by radar; snow; terrain mapping; thickness measurement; Ku-band; SHF; chirp; chirped pulse; dielectric layer; hydrology; land surface ice; measurement technique; model; radar altimetry method; radar remote sensing; reflection coefficient; snow cover; snow depth; snowcover; snowpack; thickness; Chirp modulation; Dielectric measurements; Electromagnetic measurements; Frequency modulation; Ice; Permittivity; Radar measurements; Radar remote sensing; Reflection; Snow;
Conference_Titel :
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2001. IGARSS '01. IEEE 2001 International
Conference_Location :
Sydney, NSW
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7031-7
DOI :
10.1109/IGARSS.2001.977067
