Comparison of Microwave Backscatter Anisotropy Parameterizations of the Antarctic Ice Sheet Using ASCAT

The C-band EUMETSAT Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) was launched in 2007, and provides backscatter measurements with excellent azimuth and incidence angle diversity in polar regions. C-band backscatter measurements can be used to retrieve near-surface snow/firn properties such as grain size and accumulation rate, however the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) exhibits strong microwave backscatter anisotropy as a function of both incidence and azimuth angles, and this anisotropy must be well understood before such physical parameter retrieval can be accurately performed. This paper presents a detailed comparison of several different parameterizations of both the azimuth and the incidence anisotropy. Parameterizations used here result in residuals similar to the radiometric performance of ASCAT, indicating accurate characterization of the anisotropy. The analysis of these parameterizations provides an insight into the physical mechanisms taking place near the surface of the AIS. 30-day composite maps of several parameters are presented, and discussed in the context of near-surface glaciology. This anisotropy characterization will form the basis of a technique for extraction of physical parameters of the AIS.