Articles | Volume 15, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1811-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1811-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Simulated Ka- and Ku-band radar altimeter height and freeboard estimation on snow-covered Arctic sea ice
Danish Meteorological Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
Vishnu Nandan
Center for Earth Observation Sciences (CEOS), Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment,
Earth, and Resources, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Cryosphere Climate Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
John Yackel
Cryosphere Climate Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
Stefan Kern
Integrated Climate Data Center (ICDC), Center for Earth System Research and
Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Leif Toudal Pedersen
National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
Julienne Stroeve
Center for Earth Observation Sciences (CEOS), Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment,
Earth, and Resources, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK
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Cited
13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Rain on snow (ROS) understudied in sea ice remote sensing: a multi-sensor analysis of ROS during MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) J. Stroeve et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4223-2022
- Simulating SAR altimeter echoes from cryospheric surfaces with the Snow Microwave Radiative Transfer (SMRT) model version 1.7 G. Picard et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-9103-2026
- Retrieval of Snow Depth on Arctic Sea Ice From Surface‐Based, Polarimetric, Dual‐Frequency Radar Altimetry R. Willatt et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL104461
- Ocean Wave Inversion Based on a Ku/Ka Dual-Band Airborne Interferometric Imaging Radar Altimeter C. Ma et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14153578
- Multi-frequency altimetry snow depth estimates over heterogeneous snow-covered Antarctic summer sea ice – Part 2: Comparing airborne estimates with near-coincident CryoSat-2 and ICESat-2 (CRYO2ICE) R. Fredensborg Hansen et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4193-2025
- A multi-frequency altimetry snow depth product over Arctic sea ice A. Carret et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-04343-4
- Arctic Sea Ice Thickness Retrieval from FY-3F GNSS-R Data Using an Ensemble Learning Approach Q. He et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18122043
- Assessment of Satellite Altimetric and Compact Polarimetric SAR Parameters Over Early Spring Snow-Covered Landfast Sea Ice in the Canadian Arctic H. Lam et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2025.3595821
- Bridging the gaps: Unraveling the impact of snow properties on brine wicking and runoff A. Komarov et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2025.3
- Thin Sea Ice Thickness Prediction Using Multivariate Radar-Physical Features and Machine Learning Algorithms M. Dadjoo & D. Isleifson https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17173002
- Anticipating CRISTAL: an exploration of multi-frequency satellite altimeter snow depth estimates over Arctic sea ice, 2018–2023 J. Landy et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-183-2026
- Temperature Stress Resilience in Polar Chlamydomonas Is Regulated by Acclimation to Light and Salinity: Implications for Survival in a Changing World P. Osmers et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.71149
- Detecting Sea Ice Leads and Floes in the Northwest Passage Using CryoSat-2 A. Swiggs et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2024.3503286
13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Rain on snow (ROS) understudied in sea ice remote sensing: a multi-sensor analysis of ROS during MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) J. Stroeve et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4223-2022
- Simulating SAR altimeter echoes from cryospheric surfaces with the Snow Microwave Radiative Transfer (SMRT) model version 1.7 G. Picard et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-9103-2026
- Retrieval of Snow Depth on Arctic Sea Ice From Surface‐Based, Polarimetric, Dual‐Frequency Radar Altimetry R. Willatt et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL104461
- Ocean Wave Inversion Based on a Ku/Ka Dual-Band Airborne Interferometric Imaging Radar Altimeter C. Ma et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14153578
- Multi-frequency altimetry snow depth estimates over heterogeneous snow-covered Antarctic summer sea ice – Part 2: Comparing airborne estimates with near-coincident CryoSat-2 and ICESat-2 (CRYO2ICE) R. Fredensborg Hansen et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4193-2025
- A multi-frequency altimetry snow depth product over Arctic sea ice A. Carret et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-04343-4
- Arctic Sea Ice Thickness Retrieval from FY-3F GNSS-R Data Using an Ensemble Learning Approach Q. He et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18122043
- Assessment of Satellite Altimetric and Compact Polarimetric SAR Parameters Over Early Spring Snow-Covered Landfast Sea Ice in the Canadian Arctic H. Lam et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2025.3595821
- Bridging the gaps: Unraveling the impact of snow properties on brine wicking and runoff A. Komarov et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2025.3
- Thin Sea Ice Thickness Prediction Using Multivariate Radar-Physical Features and Machine Learning Algorithms M. Dadjoo & D. Isleifson https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17173002
- Anticipating CRISTAL: an exploration of multi-frequency satellite altimeter snow depth estimates over Arctic sea ice, 2018–2023 J. Landy et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-183-2026
- Temperature Stress Resilience in Polar Chlamydomonas Is Regulated by Acclimation to Light and Salinity: Implications for Survival in a Changing World P. Osmers et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.71149
- Detecting Sea Ice Leads and Floes in the Northwest Passage Using CryoSat-2 A. Swiggs et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2024.3503286
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 01 Nov 2026
Short summary
A relationship between the Ku-band radar scattering horizon and snow depth is found using a radar scattering model. This relationship has implications for (1) the use of snow climatology in the conversion of satellite radar freeboard into sea ice thickness and (2) the impact of variability in measured snow depth on the derived ice thickness. For both 1 and 2, the impact of using a snow climatology versus the actual snow depth is relatively small.
A relationship between the Ku-band radar scattering horizon and snow depth is found using a...
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