Effects of large structure in wet snow cover on SAR measurements

The authors have developed a microwave model to evaluate the effects of large structures in wet snowcover, such as draining fingers and channels, on backscattering and polarization properties, especially at L-band. With the numerical simulation, they demonstrate the characteristics of backscattering and polarization signatures at each stage of draining finger and channel developments. The authors show the potential of SAR applications for both snow melting model improvement and snow avalanche prediction and control.