Snow Depth on Arctic Sea Ice Retrieval Using a Synergy of Sentinel‐3's Active and Passive Microwave Instruments
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Snow depth remains one of the largest sources of uncertainty in satellite‐derived sea ice thickness (SIT). Here, we introduce the novel N a dir R adiometer and R adar S ynergy ( NaRRS ) method that combines data from Sentinel‐3's Microwave Radiometer (MWR) and Synthetic Aperture Radar Altimeter (SRAL) to retrieve Arctic snow depth on sea ice. The resultant snow depths are co‐located with SRAL‐derived radar freeboard, reducing spatio‐temporal mismatches in SIT processing. NaRRS achieves an of 0.72 and RMSE of 0.05 m in cross‐validation against Operation IceBridge snow depth data, and better matches IceBird observations than the modified Warren Climatology (mW99). Ice drafts estimated from coupled snow depth and freeboard align with mW99 against Beaufort Sea moorings but reduce bias by up to 50% against Fram Strait moorings. This work provides a proof‐of‐concept for simultaneous, co‐located snow depth and SIT retrievals, paving the way for next‐generation satellite missions and retrieval frameworks.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2025gl121068
Institutions: University College London, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, University of Colorado Boulder, National Snow and Ice Data Center, Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Norwegian Meteorological Institute, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Danish Meteorological Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,190
OpenAlex ID: W7162019623