Dynamic/Thermodynamic Processes and Their Contribution to the Sea Ice Thickness Distribution and Radar Backscatter in the Ross Sea

该项目是研究南极海冰在全球气候系统中的影响，通过检查冰雪厚度和开阔水域的空间分布如何反映在基于卫星的合成孔径雷达图像中。实地调查将于1998年冬季和1999年夏季在RVIB NathanielB.Palmer进行，将对冰雪分布、晶体结构、稳定同位素、冰芯的盐度和温度结构以及雪盖的地层、粒度和水分进行观测。来自ERS-2和RADARSAT的合成孔径雷达图像将在麦克默多地面站获得，并在阿拉斯加合成孔径雷达设施进行处理。这将提供有关大尺度冰动场和小尺度冰形变场的信息，这两者都有助于观测到的冰厚度分布。此外，研究后向散射微波能量的时空变化将有助于发展数值模式来模拟海冰、海洋和大气之间的动力和热力学相互作用。地面数据对于从雷达数据中提取环境信息以及最终验证交互模型是至关重要的。

This project is a study of the effects of antarctic sea ice in the global climate system, through an examination of how the spatial distribution of ice and snow thickness and of open water is reflected in satellite-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. The field investigations will be carried out from the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer in winter 1998 and summer 1999, and will produce observations of the snow and ice distribution, the crystal structure, stable isotopes, salinity and temperature structure of ice cores, and the stratigraphy, grain size, and water content of the snow cover. The SAR images from ERS-2 and RADARSAT will be acquired at the McMurdo ground station, and processed at the Alaska SAR Facility. These will provide information about the large-scale ice motion field and the small-scale ice deformation field, both of which contribute to the observed ice thickness distribution. In addition, a study of the spatial and temporal variation of the backscattered microwave energy will contribute to the development of numerical models that simulate the dynamic and thermodynamic interactions among the sea ice, ocean, and atmosphere. The surface data is vital for the extraction of environmental information from the radar data, and for the ultimate validation of interactive models.