Articles | Volume 17, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4325-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4325-2023
Research article
 | 
13 Oct 2023
Research article |  | 13 Oct 2023

Evaluating Snow Microwave Radiative Transfer (SMRT) model emissivities with 89 to 243 GHz observations of Arctic tundra snow

Kirsty Wivell, Stuart Fox, Melody Sandells, Chawn Harlow, Richard Essery, and Nick Rutter

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Cited articles

Arduini, G., Balsamo, G., Dutra, E., Day, J. J., Sandu, I., Boussetta, S., and Haiden, T.: Impact of a multi-layer snow scheme on near-surface weather forecasts, J. Adv. Model. Earth. Sy., 11, 4687–4710, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019MS001725, 2019. a
Armstrong, R. L., Chang, A., Rango, A., and Josberger, E.: Snow depths and grain-size relationships with relevance for passive microwave studies, Ann. Glaciol, 17, 171–176, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0260305500012799, 1993. a, b
Benson, C. S. and Sturm, M.: Structure and wind transport of seasonal snow on the Arctic slope of Alaska, Ann. Glaciol, 18, 261–267, https://doi.org/10.3189/S0260305500011629, 1993. a
Bormann, N.: Accounting for Lambertian reflection in the assimilation of microwave sounding radiances over snow and sea-ice, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 148, 2796–2813, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.4337, 2022. a
Brucker, L., Picard, G., and Fily, M.: Snow grain-size profiles deduced from microwave snow emissivities in Antarctica, J. Glaciol, 56, 514–526, https://doi.org/10.3189/002214310792447806, 2010. a, b
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Short summary
Satellite microwave observations improve weather forecasts, but to use these observations in the Arctic, snow emission must be known. This study uses airborne and in situ snow observations to validate emissivity simulations for two- and three-layer snowpacks at key frequencies for weather prediction. We assess the impact of thickness, grain size and density in key snow layers, which will help inform development of physical snow models that provide snow profile input to emissivity simulations.
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