Features of the Propagation of Microwave Radiation in a Freshwater Ice Cover

Abstract

When scanning fresh ice cover in the microwave range at a frequency of 13 GHz, the transmitted radiation power was investigated at four linear polarizations (vertical, horizontal, and polarizations rotated at an angle of +-45) for a long period of time. The measurements were carried out on the ice cover of the lake. Arakhley (Transbaikal region) at a distance of 120 m from the coast in March 2021. We also measured the external parameters of the studied environment, namely, the temperature of the ice cover, meteorological parameters (wind speed, air temperature, pressure). The distance between the generator and the receiver of electromagnetic radiation was 40 meters. The orientation of the instruments is West-East. As a result, variations in the power of the transmitted microwave radiation were detected. These variations are related to the temperature deformations of the ice cover, which were recorded using a deformation sensor installed in the ice cover. Also revealed a feature that was observed earlier in the spring. This is a different temporal behavior of the first Stokes parameter, which is determined by the sum of the powers of two orthogonal polarizations, namely, the sum of the received signals at the vertical and horizontal polarizations, and the sum of the received signals of the two polarizations rotated at an angle of +45 and -45. This difference is also associated with temperature deformations of the fresh ice cover in the spring. Keywords: microwave range, fresh ice cover, Stokes parameters, temperature deformation