Seasat scatterometer observations of sea ice

Seasat I scatterometer data collected over the Beaufort Sea are analyzed an d compared with a simple theoretical model that includes surface roughness and volume scattering. The values of the root-mean-square (rms) surface slo pe of roughness and the volume scattering albedo are adjusted to fit the da ta. With qualifications imposed on the theoretical assumptions, the data ar e well modeled by the tno parameters and the sensor offers a physically bas ed means to monitor the statistical properties of sea ice using satellite s catterometers, such as the European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1) and th e NSCAT, which collected data from the Japanese ADEOS I spacecraft.