Determination of Snow Emission on Lake Ice from Airborne Passive Microwave Measurements

The study focuses on the microwave emission properties of snow-covered lake ice. Lakes typically differ from their surrounding terrain regarding snowpack structure, and thus microwave emission. Ice and water layers beneath the snow also influence the result when compared to frozen ground, decreasing brightness temperatures especially on low frequencies. Estimates of snowpack properties from low-resolution microwave data, such as snow depth or snow water equivalent, are susceptible to these effects. In order to correct for the resulting underestimation, the lake fraction over the area of study as well as the emission properties of those lakes should be known. This could potentially be achieved through the assimilation of modeled estimates of snow-covered lake emissions to satellite data. In this study, a modified HUT snow emission model, including modeled influence from the ice and water layers, is applied to model emission over several lakes in Finland during two winter periods. Input parameters to the model are derived from a large quantity of available ground data. Airborne radiometer data are applied to investigate the quality of the emission estimates. Finally, emissions over several AMSR-E pixels are modeled using fractional lake coverage and available ground data.