Improved Sea Ice Fraction Characterization for L-Band Observations by the Aquarius Radiometers.

ABSTRACT: Radiometers operating at L-band (1.4 GHz) are used to retrieve sea surface salinity over ice-free oceans and have been used recently to study the cryosphere. One hindrance of their use in the high latitudes is the preponderance of mixed scenes, where seawater and sea ice are both present in the sensor's field of view (FOV). Accurately characterizing the scene is crucial for oceanographic and cryospheric applications. To that end, a sea ice fraction model, composed of passive microwave sea ice concentration retrievals and an instrument simulator that integrates radiative power coming from all around the antenna, is used. We investigate the model currently used operationally to derive the ice fraction affecting the Aquarius observations and show that it can be significantly improved. On the

SUBMITTER: Dinnat EP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7394339 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature