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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, 2026. Т. 23. № 3. С. 342-350

Analysis of the modulation transfer function of fragmented ice based on satellite synthetic aperture radar data

O.A. Danilicheva 1 , S.A. Ermakov 1, 2 
1 Institute of Applied Physics RAS, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
2 Volga State University of Water Transport, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Accepted: 12.05.2026
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2026-23-3-342-350
The work is devoted to analysis of the modulation transfer function (MTF) of fragmented ice using satellite radar data. The relevance of the study is driven by the need to improve climate models of the Arctic, in which wave–ice interaction is insufficiently accounted for, particularly in the marginal ice zone. A method for estimating the MTF of fragmented ice is proposed, using wave parameters from adjacent open water areas, which eliminates the need for additional model data. Using a Sentinel-1 radar image as an example, the feasibility of estimating the MTF of fragmented ice is demonstrated. It is shown that the total MTF of fragmented ice obtained from satellite data exceeds model estimates by approximately 60%. This discrepancy with model estimates is presumably due to the hydrodynamic interaction between long waves and fragmented ice, which is not taken into account when calculating the MTF using the model. Hydrodynamic interaction can lead to a redistribution of ice concentration in the field of orbital velocities of long waves, as well as to the formation of ridges, which will contribute an additional component to the total MTF of fragmented ice. The results confirm the need for further research to clarify the mechanisms of radar signal modulation by fragmented ice.
Keywords: SAR, radar images, modulation transfer function, fragmented ice
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