C-Band Radar Measurements in a Snow-Covered Boreal Forest Environment

Isis Brangers; Gabrielle De Lannoy; Hans Peter Marshall; Devon Dunmire; Randall Bonnell; Bert Cox; Jona Cappelle; W. Brad Baxter; Hans Lievens

doi:10.1109/LGRS.2024.3521544

C-Band Radar Measurements in a Snow-Covered Boreal Forest Environment

Isis Brangers, Gabrielle De Lannoy, Hans Peter Marshall, Devon Dunmire, Randall Bonnell, Bert Cox, Jona Cappelle, W. Brad Baxter, Hans Lievens

Geosciences Department

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Sled-based side-looking C-band radar profiles were collected around Fairbanks, Alaska, in March 2023 during the NASA SnowEx campaign to improve the conceptual understanding of C-band radar wave interactions with snow in a boreal forest environment. Seven transects with different vegetation and ground conditions were studied. Significant volume scattering from snow was observed in this shallow snowpack, indicating sensitivity at lower snow depths (SDs) which are common in high-latitude snowpacks. Manual removal of the snowpack decreased the backscatter by more than 2 dB in all polarizations, with a larger decrease in the cross-polarization, supporting the potential use of Sentinel-1 to retrieve SD.

Original language	English
Article number	2000105
Journal	IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters
Volume	22
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/LGRS.2024.3521544
State	Published - 2025

Keywords

C-band radar
seasonal snow
Sentinel-1

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10.1109/LGRS.2024.3521544

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title = "C-Band Radar Measurements in a Snow-Covered Boreal Forest Environment",

abstract = "Sled-based side-looking C-band radar profiles were collected around Fairbanks, Alaska, in March 2023 during the NASA SnowEx campaign to improve the conceptual understanding of C-band radar wave interactions with snow in a boreal forest environment. Seven transects with different vegetation and ground conditions were studied. Significant volume scattering from snow was observed in this shallow snowpack, indicating sensitivity at lower snow depths (SDs) which are common in high-latitude snowpacks. Manual removal of the snowpack decreased the backscatter by more than 2 dB in all polarizations, with a larger decrease in the cross-polarization, supporting the potential use of Sentinel-1 to retrieve SD.",

keywords = "C-band radar, seasonal snow, Sentinel-1",

author = "Isis Brangers and {De Lannoy}, Gabrielle and Marshall, {Hans Peter} and Devon Dunmire and Randall Bonnell and Bert Cox and Jona Cappelle and {Brad Baxter}, W. and Hans Lievens",

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doi = "10.1109/LGRS.2024.3521544",

language = "English",

volume = "22",

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T1 - C-Band Radar Measurements in a Snow-Covered Boreal Forest Environment

AU - Brangers, Isis

AU - De Lannoy, Gabrielle

AU - Marshall, Hans Peter

AU - Dunmire, Devon

AU - Bonnell, Randall

AU - Cox, Bert

AU - Cappelle, Jona

AU - Brad Baxter, W.

AU - Lievens, Hans

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - Sled-based side-looking C-band radar profiles were collected around Fairbanks, Alaska, in March 2023 during the NASA SnowEx campaign to improve the conceptual understanding of C-band radar wave interactions with snow in a boreal forest environment. Seven transects with different vegetation and ground conditions were studied. Significant volume scattering from snow was observed in this shallow snowpack, indicating sensitivity at lower snow depths (SDs) which are common in high-latitude snowpacks. Manual removal of the snowpack decreased the backscatter by more than 2 dB in all polarizations, with a larger decrease in the cross-polarization, supporting the potential use of Sentinel-1 to retrieve SD.

AB - Sled-based side-looking C-band radar profiles were collected around Fairbanks, Alaska, in March 2023 during the NASA SnowEx campaign to improve the conceptual understanding of C-band radar wave interactions with snow in a boreal forest environment. Seven transects with different vegetation and ground conditions were studied. Significant volume scattering from snow was observed in this shallow snowpack, indicating sensitivity at lower snow depths (SDs) which are common in high-latitude snowpacks. Manual removal of the snowpack decreased the backscatter by more than 2 dB in all polarizations, with a larger decrease in the cross-polarization, supporting the potential use of Sentinel-1 to retrieve SD.

KW - C-band radar

KW - seasonal snow

KW - Sentinel-1

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DO - 10.1109/LGRS.2024.3521544

M3 - Article

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JO - IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters

JF - IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters

M1 - 2000105

ER -

C-Band Radar Measurements in a Snow-Covered Boreal Forest Environment

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Keywords

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