CoAuthors

Elena Zakharova (CNRS; LEGOS, Toulouse, France/State Oceanography Institute, St. Petersburg branch, Russia, France); Frederique Remy (CNRS; LEGOS, Toulouse, France, France); Andrey Suknev (Great Baikal Trail Buryatiya, Ulan-Ude, Russia, Russia)

We present studies of ice cover of Lake Baikal using the synergy of simultaneous active (radar altimeter) and passive (radiometer) observations from radar altimetric satellites - SARAL/Altika and also TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, ENVISAT and Geosat Follow-On. We present ice discrimination methodology from different satellite missions and discuss specificity of AltiKa observations. We also address influence of ice cover on altimetric range estimations by comparing the estimates from four retrackers available for ENVISAT and AltiKa.

We analyse temporal variability of altimetric waveform parameters over ice-covered and ice-free surface for AltiKa and complement this analysis by satellite imagery (MODIS, Landsat), as well as our dedicated field observations of ice cover properties along the AltiKa tracks in spring 2013 and 2014. There is a significant decrease (10-15 dB) of backscatter coefficient by the end of ice season and we discuss factors potentially responsible for this (ice surface metamorphism and re-crystallisation).

This research has been done in the framework of the Russian-French cooperation GDRI "CAR-WET-SIB", CNES TOSCA AO, ANR "CLASSIQUE", CNRS-Russia "Franco-Siberian Center for Research and Education" and PICS BALALAIKA, ESA Proposal C1P.13132, Russian FZP 1.5 and EU FP7 "MONARCH-A" projects.