Inversion for Physical Characteristics of Snow using Passive Radiometric Observations

Abstract

Abstract The Nimbus-6 Satellite’s Scanning Microwave Spectrometer (SCAMS) mapped the terrestrial surface continuously for eleven months at 22.2 and 31.6 GHz. A semi-empirical method was devised to process these observations of Greenland and Antarctica and to infer long-term snow accumulation rates; comparison with in situ data suggests the method is generally successful except in certain locations where re-melting is more likely.