Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-81
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-81
06 Feb 2024
 | 06 Feb 2024

Quantifying the Influence of Snow over Sea Ice Morphology on L-Band Microwave Satellite Observations in the Southern Ocean

Lu Zhou, Julienne Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Shiming Xu, Weixin Zhu, Sahra Kacimi, Stefanie Arndt, and Zifan Yang

Abstract. Antarctic snow on sea ice can contain slush, refrozen snow-ice and stratified layers, complicating satellite retrieval processes for snow depth, ice thickness, and sea ice concentration. The introduction of moist and brine-wetted snow alters microwave snow emissions and modifies the energy and mass balance of sea ice. This study assesses the impact of brine-wetted snow and slush layers on L-band surface brightness temperatures (Tbs) by synergizing a snow stratigraphy model (SNOWPACK) driven by atmospheric reanalysis data and a RAdiative transfer model Developed for Ice and Snow in the L-band (RADIS-L) v1.0. The updated RADIS-L v1.1 further introduces parameterisations for brine-wetted and slush snow layers over Antarctic sea ice. Our findings highlight the importance of including both brine-wetted snow and slush layers in order to accurately simulate L-band brightness temperatures, laying the groundwork for improved satellite retrievals of snow depth and ice thickness using satellite sensors such as the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP). However, biases in modeled and observed L-band brightness temperatures persist, which we attribute to sub-grid scale ice surface variability and snow stratigraphy. Given the scarcity of comprehensive in situ snow and ice data in the Southern Ocean, ramping up observational initiatives in the region is imperative to provide not only satellite validation data sets but also improving process-level understanding that can scale up to improving the precision of satellite snow and ice thickness retrievals.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

24 Sep 2024
Quantifying the influence of snow over sea ice morphology on L-band passive microwave satellite observations in the Southern Ocean
Lu Zhou, Julienne Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Shiming Xu, Weixin Zhu, Sahra Kacimi, Stefanie Arndt, and Zifan Yang
The Cryosphere, 18, 4399–4434, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4399-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4399-2024, 2024
Short summary
Lu Zhou, Julienne Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Shiming Xu, Weixin Zhu, Sahra Kacimi, Stefanie Arndt, and Zifan Yang

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-81', Anonymous Referee #1, 18 Feb 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-81', Anonymous Referee #2, 01 Apr 2024
  • RC3: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-81', Anonymous Referee #3, 04 May 2024

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-81', Anonymous Referee #1, 18 Feb 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-81', Anonymous Referee #2, 01 Apr 2024
  • RC3: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-81', Anonymous Referee #3, 04 May 2024

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Publish subject to revisions (further review by editor and referees) (26 Jun 2024) by Bin Cheng
AR by Lu Zhou on behalf of the Authors (12 Jul 2024)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (29 Jul 2024) by Bin Cheng
RR by Anonymous Referee #3 (09 Aug 2024)
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (12 Aug 2024)
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (12 Aug 2024) by Bin Cheng
AR by Lu Zhou on behalf of the Authors (15 Aug 2024)  Author's response   Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

24 Sep 2024
Quantifying the influence of snow over sea ice morphology on L-band passive microwave satellite observations in the Southern Ocean
Lu Zhou, Julienne Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Shiming Xu, Weixin Zhu, Sahra Kacimi, Stefanie Arndt, and Zifan Yang
The Cryosphere, 18, 4399–4434, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4399-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4399-2024, 2024
Short summary
Lu Zhou, Julienne Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Shiming Xu, Weixin Zhu, Sahra Kacimi, Stefanie Arndt, and Zifan Yang
Lu Zhou, Julienne Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Shiming Xu, Weixin Zhu, Sahra Kacimi, Stefanie Arndt, and Zifan Yang

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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

Short summary
Snow over Antarctic sea ice, influenced by highly variable meteorological conditions and heavy snowfall, has complex stratigraphy and profound impact over the microwave signature. We employ advanced radiation transfer models to analyze the effects of complex snow properties on brightness temperatures over the sea ice in Southern Oceans. Great potential lies in the understanding of snow processes and the application to satellite retrievals.