Summary
Meteorological observations were recorded at Dye 2, Greenland during the summer of 1993 as part of a research program to identify interannual variations in melt occurrence on the Greenland ice sheet from satellite microwave data. The meteorological observations were used to drive and energy-balance model of the snowpack during 21 June to 13 July 1993. Time series of the meteorological observations and various model outputs were compared to a concurrent time series of Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data for scan cells centered within 25 km of Dye 2. The satellite microwave observations clearly show an increase in snowpack emissivity at the same time that the model indicates liquid water forming in the snow. Diurnal melt-freeze cycles that occurred during mid June to early July resulted in an increase in the 37 GHz brightness temperature as great as 60K from the dry, refrozen snow in the morning to the wet snow of some afternoons. The effects of fresh snowfall, which tend to increase the brightness temperature, and of snow growth from melt-freeze metamorphism, which tend to decrease the brightness temperature, are also apparent in the microwave observations. The results of this work demonstrate the influence of daily weather variations on the microwave emissivity in the ice sheet's percolation zone and the usefulness of swath data to diagnose the diurnal cycle of melt.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Benson, C. S., 1962: Stratigraphic studies in the snow and firn of the Greenland ice shee, CRREL Res. Rep. 70. CRREL, Hanover, NH, 93 pp.
Ferraro, E. J., 1994: Analysis of Airborne Radar Altimetry Measurements of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 164 pp.
Foster, J. L., Hall, D. K., Chang, A. T. C., Rango, A., 1984: An overview of passive microwave snow research and results.Rev. Geophys. Space Res.,22, 195–208.
Jezek, K. C., Gogineni, P., Shanableh, M., 1994: Radar measurements of melt zones on the Greenland ice sheet.Geophys. Res. Letters,21, 33–36.
Jordan, R., 1991: A one-dimensional model for a snow cover: technical documentation for SNTHERM.89 Special Report 91-16, U.S. Army Crops of Engineers, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, NH.
Mote, T. L., Anderson, M. R., Kuivinen, K. C., Rowe, C. M., 1993: Passive microwave-derived spatial and temporal variations of summer melt on the Greenland ice sheet.Ann. Glaciol.,17, 233–238.
Mote, T. L., Anderson, M. R., 1995: Variations in snowpack melt on the Greenland ice sheet based on passive microwave measurements.J. Glaciol.,17, 51–60.
Ohmura, A., Steffen, K., Blatter, H., Greuell, W., Rotach, M., Konzelmann, T., Laternser, M., Ouchi, A., Steiger, D., 1991: Energy and Mass Balance During the Melt Season at the Equilibrium Line Altitude, Paakitsoq, Greenland Ice Sheet: Progress Report No. 1. Department of Geography, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, 118 pp.
Rango, A., Chang, A. T. C., Foster, J. L., 1979: The utilization of spaceborne microwave radiometers for monitoring snowpack properties.Nord. Hydrol.,10, 25–40.
Remy, F., Minster, J. F., 1991: A comparison between active and passive microwave measurements of the Antarctic ice sheet and their association with the surface katabatic winds.J. Glaciol.,37, 3–10.
Rotman, S. R., Fisher, A. D., Staelin, D. H., 1982: Inversion for physical characteristics of snow using passive radiometric observations.J. Glaciol.,28, 179–185.
Rowe, C. M., Kuivinen, K. C., Jordan, R., 1995: simulation of summer snowmelt on the Greenland ice sheet using a onedimensional model.J. Geophys. Res.,100, 16,265–16,273.
Schuman, C. A., Alley, R. B., Anandakrishnan, S., 1993: Characterization of a hoar-development episode using SSM/I brightness temperatures in the vicinity of the GISP-2 site, Greenland.Ann. Glaciol.,17, 183–188.
Steffen, K., Abdalati, W., Stroeve, J., 1993: Climate sensitivity studies of the Greenland ice sheet using satellite AVHRR, SMMR, SSM/I and in situ data.Meteorol. Atmos. Phys.,51, 239–258.
Stiles, W. H., Ulaby, F. T., 1980: The active and passive microwave response to snow parameters: 1. Wetness.J. Geophys. Res.,85, 1037–1044.
Ulaby, F. T., Moore, R. K., Fung, A. K., 1986:Microwave Remote Sensing, Active and Passive, vol. 3. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2162 pp.
van der Veen, C. J., Jezek, K., 1993: Seasonal variations in brightness temperature for central Antarctica.Ann. Glaciol.,17, 300–306.
Wentz, F. J., 1991: SSM/I Antenna Temperature Tapes User's Manual, Revision 1. Remote Sensing Systems, Santa Rosa, CA, 70 pp.
Zwally, H. J., 1977: Microwave emissivity and accumulation rate of polar firn.J. Glaciol.,18, 195–215.
Zwally, H. J., Fiegles, S., 1994: Extent and duration of Antarctic surface melt.J. Glaciol.,40, 463–476.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
With 4 Figures
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mote, T.L., Rowe, C.M. A comparison of microwave radiometric data and modeled snowpack conditions for Dye 2, Greenland. Meteorl. Atmos. Phys. 59, 245–255 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01030147
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01030147