Evolution of electromagnetic signatures of sea ice from initial formation to the establishment of thick first-year ice

The spatial and temporal distribution of new and young sea ice types are of particular interest because of the influence this can exert on the heat and mass balance of the polar sea ice. The objective of the present work is to characterize the temporal evolution of the electromagnetic (EM) signatures of sea ice from initial formation through the development of first-year (FY) ice on the basis of the temporal variations in the physical properties of the ice. The time series of young sea ice signatures, including microwave emissivity, radar backscatter, and visible and infrared spectral albedo, has been measured at successive stages in the growth and development of sea ice, both under laboratory and field conditions. These observations have been accompanied by studies of the physical properties that influence the interaction between radiation and the ice. This has resulted in a consistent data set of concurrent multispectral observations that covers essentially all phases of the development of the different types of sea ice from initial formation to thick FY ice. Mutually consistent theoretical models covering the entire wavelength range of the observations are applied to selected cases and successfully match the observations. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the data set suggests combinations of the set of frequencies to effectively distinguish among different stages in the temporal evolution of the sea ice.