Sensitivity Analysis of Microwave Brightness Temperature to Snow Depth on Sea Ice in the Arctic

Snow on sea ice is a sensitive indicator of climate change and is considered a key reason for amplified warming in the Arctic. The passive microwave remote sensing is an important method for Snow Depth (SD) observation. Therefore, understanding the influence of SD on observed brightness temperature (TB) is necessary for SD retrieval using microwave radiometer. Taking the FengYun-3D/Microwave Radiation Imager (FY3D/MWRI) as an example, this paper simulates the influence of SD on observed TBs from different channels using the MicroWave MODel (MWMOD) in the Arctic. Several conditions are considered for both first year ice (FYI) and multi-year ice (MYI), including various sea ice concentrations and water vapor contents in the atmosphere. The correlation between SD and TB is also briefly analyzed. It provides a theoretical reference for the retrieval of SD using microwave radiometer.