Estimation of snow water equivalent over first-year sea ice using AMSR-E and surface observations

A SWE retrieval algorithm developed in-situ using passive microwave surface based radiometer data is applied to the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observation System (AMSR-E). Snow water equivalent is predicted from two pixels located in Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study (CASES) overwintering study area in Franklin Bay, N.W.T., Canada. Results show that the satellite SWE predictions are statistically valid with measured in-situ snow thickness data in both smooth and rough ice environments where predicted values range from 15 to 25 mm. Stronger correlation between measured and predicted data is found over smooth ice with R2 value of 0.75 and 0.73 for both pixels respectively. Furthermore, a qualitative study of sea ice roughness using both passive and active microwave satellite data shows that the two pixels are rougher than the surrounding areas, but the SWE predictions do not seem to be affected significantly.