Abstract
A novel microwave radiometric technique, wideband autocorrelation radiometry (WiBAR), is introduced. The radiometer offers a direct method to remotely measure the microwave propagation time difference of multipath microwave emission from low-loss layered surfaces, such as a dry snowpack and a freshwater lake icepack. The microwave propagation time difference through the pack yields a measure of its vertical extent; thus, this technique provides a direct measurement of depth. It is also a low-power sensing method, since there is no transmitter. We present a simple geophysical forward model for the multipath interference phenomenon and derive the system requirements needed to design a WiBAR instrument. An X-band instrument fabricated from commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components measured the thickness of the freshwater lake ice at the University of Michigan Biological Station. Ice thickness retrieval is demonstrated from nadir to 59°. The WiBAR was able to directly measure the lake icepack thickness of about 36 cm with an accuracy of 2 cm over this range of incidence angles.
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