Millimeter-wave backscatter characteristics of multilayered snow surfaces

Backscatter measurements are presented of various snow packs made during the 1987-8 winter season with a unique 215-GHz radar system. Measurements were made for VV, HH, VH, and HV polarizations. Concurrent ground truth measurements of snow surface roughness, moisture content, density, hardness, particle size, and grain type were also made. These measured ground truth parameters are used as inputs to a simple model based on geometrical optics and Mie scattering theory for comparison with the observed backscatter characteristics. It is found that the model can predict general levels and overall trends of the backscatter for a variety of snow conditions.<
>