Multichannel ultra-wideband airborne radar for snow backscattering measurements

An airborne 2–18 GHz frequency-modulated continuous wave (FM-CW) radar was designed and deployed to Barrow, AK for fine-resolution measurements of snow. In addition to conventional snow thickness measurements as demonstrated in the past, another mission objective is to demonstrate the radar's capability to perform ultra-wideband measurement of snow backscatter at off-nadir angles. The backscatter data will be used to estimate snow-water-equivalent (SWE), which is a key parameter in sea ice models. In this paper, we will describe the design of the radar and antenna array that enable the measurement of snow backscatter. We will present some sample data collected in the field.