Modeling of electromagnetic wave scattering from time-varying snowcover

A study of the effects of time-varying snowcovers on the radar backscatter signatures is presented. To this objective, a snow physics model, known as SNTHERM, is applied to enable the simulation of the dynamical behavior of snowpacks. The SNTHERM model can provide thermal and physical properties such as the temperature profile, liquid water content, and the layering structure which affect the electromagnetic properties of snowpacks. To calculate the backscattering coefficients from snowcovers, the authors employ the dense medium radiative transfer (DMRT) theory with a clustered snow grain microstructure. This coupled model is then used to predict the influence of environmental variation on the millimeter wave radar response, and compare simulation results with snow backscatter measurements. Good agreement is obtained between model and measured data in both timing and magnitude