A framework for coupling thermodynamic and backscatter models toward the estimation of Arctic sea ice, snow on sea ice, and snow brine volume

We propose a modular framework for coupling sea ice thermodynamic models with microwave backscatter models for comparison to observations, with the objective of accurate accounting for snow and sea ice and associated dynamics over vast and remote areas of the Arctic Ocean. The framework uses seasonal, high resolution, in situ spatiotemporal data, including meteorological and surface-based polarimetric C-band scatterometer observations, collected during the CASES overwintering in first-year sea ice in Franklin Bay, NWT, in 2003 and 2004. The meteorological data drives SNTHERM and SNOWPACK sea ice simulations. The geophysical results of these thermodynamic models then drive multilayer snow and ice backscatter simulations for comparison to surface-based C-band microwave scatterometer observations. Brine profiles and snow-grain size are used to iteratively fine tune the simulation process to match backscatter simulations to observations for remote estimation of snow and sea ice geophysical properties.