C-band polarimetric backscatter observations of Great Lakes ice

Two experiments were carried out during the 1997 winter season across the Straits of Mackinac and Lake Superior. C-band radar backscatter signatures of various ice types and open water were measured from U.S. Coast Guard Ice Breaker vessels together with ground truth data. Polarimetric backscatter data were obtained at incident angles up to 60/spl deg/ for all polarizations. Backscatter signatures of 20 ice types/conditions were collected along the Coast Guard ship tracks in February and March 1997. The backscatter data set with in-situ ice characteristic parameter measurements are to be used in the development of the ice mapping algorithms using satellite SAR data over the Great Lakes. The results at C-band frequency for multiple incident angles and multiple polarizations are applicable to the current ERS and RADARSAT synthetic aperture radars (SAR) and the future ENVISAT SAR.