Abstract
Early-summer melt pond fraction is predicted using late-winter C-band backscatter of snow-covered first-year sea ice. Aerial photographs were acquired during an early-summer 2012 field campaign in Resolute Passage, Nunavut, Canada, on smooth first-year sea ice to estimate the melt pond fraction. RADARSAT-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data were acquired over the study area in late winter prior to melt onset. Correlations between the melt pond fractions and late-winter linear and polarimetric SAR parameters and texture measures derived from the SAR parameters are utilized to develop multivariate regression models that predict melt pond fractions. The results demonstrate substantial capability of the regression models to predict melt pond fractions for all SAR incidence angle ranges. The combination of the most significant linear, polarimetric and texture parameters provide the best model at far-range incidence angles, with an R 2 of 0.62 and a pond fraction RMSE of 0.09. Near- and mid- range incidence angle models provide R 2 values of 0.57 and 0.61, respectively, with an RMSE of 0.11. The strength of the regression models improves when SAR parameters are combined with texture parameters. These predictions also serve as a proxy to estimate snow thickness distributions during late winter as higher pond fractions evolve from thinner snow cover.
Highlights
The spatial distribution, evolution, and extent of melt ponds on sea ice are functions of snow thickness and snow redistribution processes through the preceding winter and spring, ice surface roughness, and ice type [1,2,3,4]
Prior studies advocate that a thinner snow cover leads to dominant surface flooding, whereas a thick winter snow cover leads to a greater fraction of snow patches and less surface flooding [7,8]
Since the formation of first-year sea ice (FYI) melt ponds is influenced by winter snow thickness, fp could provide a proxy for winter ice surface roughness and snow thickness
Summary
The spatial distribution, evolution, and extent of melt ponds on sea ice are functions of snow thickness and snow redistribution processes through the preceding winter and spring, ice surface roughness, and ice type [1,2,3,4]. For spatially varying snow covers on sea ice, thicker snow takes longer to melt than thinner snow under consistent atmospheric forcing [1,5,6]. Thicker snow covers generally accumulate on comparatively rough first-year sea ice (FYI), as the uneven surface topography effectively captures wind-blown snow [9]. The relatively smooth topography of FYI causes thinner snow covers, with consistent drifting of snow following the wind direction during depositional storm events [10]. Since the formation of FYI melt ponds is influenced by winter snow thickness, fp could provide a proxy for winter ice surface roughness and snow thickness
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