The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 10, issue 4
Articles | Volume 10, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1529-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1529-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Articles | Volume 10, issue 4
Research article
 | 
19 Jul 2016
Research article |  | 19 Jul 2016

Retrieval of the thickness of undeformed sea ice from simulated C-band compact polarimetric SAR images

Xi Zhang, Wolfgang Dierking, Jie Zhang, Junmin Meng, and Haitao Lang

Abstract. In this paper we introduce a parameter for the retrieval of the thickness of undeformed first-year sea ice that is specifically adapted to compact polarimetric (CP) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The parameter is denoted as the "CP ratio". In model simulations we investigated the sensitivity of the CP ratio to the dielectric constant, ice thickness, ice surface roughness, and radar incidence angle. From the results of the simulations we deduced optimal sea ice conditions and radar incidence angles for the ice thickness retrieval. C-band SAR data acquired over the Labrador Sea in circular transmit and linear receive (CTLR) mode were generated from RADARSAT-2 quad-polarization images. In comparison with results from helicopter-borne measurements, we tested different empirical equations for the retrieval of ice thickness. An exponential fit between the CP ratio and ice thickness provides the most reliable results. Based on a validation using other compact polarimetric SAR images from the same region, we found a root mean square (rms) error of 8 cm and a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.94 for the retrieval procedure when applying it to level ice between 0.1 and 0.8 m thick.

How to cite. Zhang, X., Dierking, W., Zhang, J., Meng, J., and Lang, H.: Retrieval of the thickness of undeformed sea ice from simulated C-band compact polarimetric SAR images, The Cryosphere, 10, 1529–1545, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1529-2016, 2016.
Received: 29 Aug 2015 – Discussion started: 15 Oct 2015 – Revised: 09 Jun 2016 – Accepted: 23 Jun 2016 – Published: 19 Jul 2016
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Short summary
In this work, we introduced a parameter ("CP ratio") for the retrieval of the thickness of undeformed first-year sea ice that is specifically adapted to compact polarimetric SAR images. Based on a validation using other compact polarimetric SAR images from the Labrador Sea, we found a root mean square error of 8 cm and a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.94 for the retrieval procedure when applying it to level ice between 0.1 m and 0.8 m thick.
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