On the C-Band Scattering Signatures of Coastal Polar Polynyas

This study aims at investigating the multi-polarization C-band scattering properties of coastal polynyas in polar regions. The Terra Nova Bay polynya in Antarctica is selected as study area while satellite Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar imagery collected in interferometric wide swath dual-polarimetric imaging mode under horizontal transmitted polarization is used for the experimental analysis. The Terra Nova Bay polynya is of the key met-ocean processes that characterizes polar regions by affecting, among all, ocean circulation and sea ice mass balance. The harsh environmental conditions severely limits the use of in-situ measurements and optical satellite imagery and, therefore, the use of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar is essential and can be provide useful findings on coastal polynyas under different conditions. In this study both numerical predictions of multi-polarization normalized radar cross sections over ice-free and ice-cover sea surface obtained using the improved integral equation method and actual C-band Sentinel-I synthetic aperture radar measurements are considered to get the different polynya signatures. Experimental results show the role played by dual-polarimetric C-band backscattering measurements, in combination with the-oretical surface scattering models, to characterize the properties of the Terra Nova Bay polynya with and without ice streaks.