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ISSN 2070-7401 (Print), ISSN 2411-0280 (Online)
Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN REMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH FROM SPACE

  

Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2025, V. 22, No. 5, pp. 293-305

Microwave thermal radiation characteristics of compact dry snow

V.A. Golunov 1 
1 Kotelnikov Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics RAS, Fryazino Branch, Fryazino, Moscow Region, Russia
Accepted: 01.08.2025
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2025-22-5-293-305
An experimental study of radiation characteristics of freshly fallen and granular snow with a bulk density exceeding 0.4 at frequencies of 22.2, 37.5, 60 and 94 GHz is performed. The design of the measuring radiometric complex and the measurement technique are described. In accordance with the Mie theory, the absorption, backscattering and attenuation coefficients of a unit volume of a mixture of spherical ice and air particles are calculated taking into account an increase in the effective refractive index of the mixture and a linear decrease in the effective size of scatterers with an increase in the bulk density of the medium. It is shown that the Mie theory is applicable to calculating the above characteristics of a unit volume of freshly fallen snow in the bulk density range of 0.4–0.6 in the snow temperature range of 253–271 K. Granular snow with particle sizes 1–2 mm in the bulk density range of 0.4–0.6 retains the property of strong volume scattering, slightly weakened in comparison with less dense snow. In this case, the Mie theory is applicable to calculating the coefficient of attenuation of microwave thermal radiation of granular snow with known values of bulk density of snow and characteristic sizes of ice particles. It is confirmed that the effective size of the scatterers decreases with compaction of snow.
Keywords: snow, microwaves, thermal radiation, bulk density, Mie theory
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