Brightness temperature behavior of snow on lake ice over a wide frequency range

We have conducted airborne microwave radiometer campaigns over a test site consisting of two lakes and their immediate surroundings in Southern Finland since 2004 in order to (1) determine the effect of snow cover to the brightness temperature of lake ice, and to (2) compare the brightness temperatures for snow-covered lake ice and snow-covered terrain (both open and forested areas). Measurements have been conducted under a variety of weather and snow/ice conditions covering situations from early winter to melting season. Using the HUTRAD and HUT-2D radiometer systems a frequency range of 1.4 to 36.5 GHz is covered. Airborne measurements are always accompanied with in-situ data collection including relevant snow, ice, and terrain parameters.