Investigations into Frost Flower Physical Characteristics and the C-Band Scattering Response
A dedicated study on the physical characteristics and C-band scattering response of frost-flower-covered sea ice was performed in an artificial sea ice mesocosm over a 36-h period in January 2017. Meteorological conditions were observed and recorded automatically at the facility when the sea ice gre...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-06-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/7/991 |
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| author | Dustin Isleifson Ryan J. Galley Nariman Firoozy Jack C. Landy David G. Barber |
| author_facet | Dustin Isleifson Ryan J. Galley Nariman Firoozy Jack C. Landy David G. Barber |
| author_sort | Dustin Isleifson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A dedicated study on the physical characteristics and C-band scattering response of frost-flower-covered sea ice was performed in an artificial sea ice mesocosm over a 36-h period in January 2017. Meteorological conditions were observed and recorded automatically at the facility when the sea ice grew and frost flowers formed while the C-band scattering measurements were conducted continuously over a range of incidence angles. Surface roughness was characterized using a LiDAR. During the experiment, frost flowers did not initially form on the extremely smooth ice surface even though suitable meteorological conditions prevailed during their development (low air temperature, low near-surface wind speed, and high near-surface relative humidity). This provides evidence that both the presence of (i) liquid brine at the surface and (ii) raised nodules as nucleation points are required to enable frost flower initiation. As the ice thickened, we observed that raised nodules gradually appeared, frost flowers formed, and flowers subsequently spread to cover the surface over a six-hour period. In contrast to previous experiments, the frost flower layer did not become visibly saturated with liquid brine. The C-band scattering measurements exhibited increases as high as 14.8 dB (vertical polarization) in response to the frost flower formation with low incidence angles (i.e., 25°) showing the largest dynamic range. Co-polarization ratios responded to the physical and thermodynamic changes associated with the frost flower formation process. Our results indicate that brine expulsion at the sea ice surface and frost flower salination can have substantial temporal variability, which can be detected by scatterometer time-series measurements. This work contributes towards the operational satellite image interpretation for Arctic waters by improving our understanding of the highly variable C-band microwave scattering properties of young sea ice types. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T03:05:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-642a5ed66e87466ebffacf7b506f39d4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T03:05:11Z |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-642a5ed66e87466ebffacf7b506f39d42022-12-21T17:18:01ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922018-06-0110799110.3390/rs10070991rs10070991Investigations into Frost Flower Physical Characteristics and the C-Band Scattering ResponseDustin Isleifson0Ryan J. Galley1Nariman Firoozy2Jack C. Landy3David G. Barber4Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V6, CanadaCentre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V6, CanadaCentre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V6, CanadaBristol Glaciology Centre, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1HB, UKCentre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V6, CanadaA dedicated study on the physical characteristics and C-band scattering response of frost-flower-covered sea ice was performed in an artificial sea ice mesocosm over a 36-h period in January 2017. Meteorological conditions were observed and recorded automatically at the facility when the sea ice grew and frost flowers formed while the C-band scattering measurements were conducted continuously over a range of incidence angles. Surface roughness was characterized using a LiDAR. During the experiment, frost flowers did not initially form on the extremely smooth ice surface even though suitable meteorological conditions prevailed during their development (low air temperature, low near-surface wind speed, and high near-surface relative humidity). This provides evidence that both the presence of (i) liquid brine at the surface and (ii) raised nodules as nucleation points are required to enable frost flower initiation. As the ice thickened, we observed that raised nodules gradually appeared, frost flowers formed, and flowers subsequently spread to cover the surface over a six-hour period. In contrast to previous experiments, the frost flower layer did not become visibly saturated with liquid brine. The C-band scattering measurements exhibited increases as high as 14.8 dB (vertical polarization) in response to the frost flower formation with low incidence angles (i.e., 25°) showing the largest dynamic range. Co-polarization ratios responded to the physical and thermodynamic changes associated with the frost flower formation process. Our results indicate that brine expulsion at the sea ice surface and frost flower salination can have substantial temporal variability, which can be detected by scatterometer time-series measurements. This work contributes towards the operational satellite image interpretation for Arctic waters by improving our understanding of the highly variable C-band microwave scattering properties of young sea ice types.http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/7/991radarmicrowavescatterometerLiDARArcticsea icefrost flowerssurface roughnessNRCS |
| spellingShingle | Dustin Isleifson Ryan J. Galley Nariman Firoozy Jack C. Landy David G. Barber Investigations into Frost Flower Physical Characteristics and the C-Band Scattering Response Remote Sensing radar microwave scatterometer LiDAR Arctic sea ice frost flowers surface roughness NRCS |
| title | Investigations into Frost Flower Physical Characteristics and the C-Band Scattering Response |
| title_full | Investigations into Frost Flower Physical Characteristics and the C-Band Scattering Response |
| title_fullStr | Investigations into Frost Flower Physical Characteristics and the C-Band Scattering Response |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigations into Frost Flower Physical Characteristics and the C-Band Scattering Response |
| title_short | Investigations into Frost Flower Physical Characteristics and the C-Band Scattering Response |
| title_sort | investigations into frost flower physical characteristics and the c band scattering response |
| topic | radar microwave scatterometer LiDAR Arctic sea ice frost flowers surface roughness NRCS |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/7/991 |
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