Development of a Parameterized Snow Scattering Model

Snow monitoring at regional and continental scale is an important task in Cryosphere studies. Space-borne active microwave sensors are capable of delivering long-term, all-weather observations of snow at large scale and providing information on key snow parameters, such as snow water equivalent (SWE). However, the complexity of snowpack makes it difficult to model the microwave scattering and retrieve snow parameters. A computationally efficient snow scattering model with simple terms is desirable for studying microwave interactions with snow and developing inversion techniques. In this study, a parameterized dry snow scattering model for analyzing X-band and Ku-band snow measurements is developed. The parameterized model is built from the microwave signal database simulated from a wide range of snowpack conditions by a theoretical model, which accounts for multiple-scattering effects and has been well-validated. The parameterized model is simple and reliable, with RMSEs 0.20 dB, 0.24 dB and 0.43 dB for VV, HH and VH polarizations, respectively.