Microwave brightness temperature of snow: Observations and simulations

Abstract

The brightness temperature of snow-covered terrain was monitored from January through April 1985 using tower-based radiometers operating at 1, 16.5, and 37 GHz (vertical and horizontal polarization) in southern Finland. Ground truth data on snow, soil and weather were collected. Layered dielectric, extinction and wetness information on snow at the test site was obtained with free-space transmission systems operating at 12 and 35 GHz. In this paper we report the 37 and 16.5 GHz vertically polarized brightness temperatures (incidence angle 50 degrees off nadir) for melting and refreezing snow over a 26-hour period and compare experimental and theoretical results.