[Analysis of the polarization properties of snow in a different melting state]

Guang Pu Xue Yu Guang Pu Fen Xi. 2013 Jan;33(1):182-5.
[Article in Chinese]

Abstract

Nowdays, under the circumstance of global warming, the traditional study of solid-state snow can not meet the current needs. The present paper involves qualitative analysis of the polarization reflectance spectrum of snow in a different melting state. Special attention is paid to the investigation of the relationship among polarization angles, azimuth angles, the light incidence zenith angles, the detection zenith angles and the different types of snowmelt. It turns out that all these factors have certain influences on the polarization reflectance spectrum of different types of snowmelt. At the waveband of the visible light, the polarization reflectance of snowmelt is the largest at 90 degrees, and the smallest at 0 degrees. The wider the detection angles and the incidence angles, the larger the polarization reflectance. Anomalies (unusual phenomena), different from other spectra, occur when the polarization reflectance spectrum of snowmelt is observed at different azimuth angles. The characteristics of polarization spectra at some certain wavebands play an important role in determining the water content of snowmelt, and meanwhile with the increase of which, the polarization reflectance will go down obviously. These rules have laid a solid foundation for the quantitative analysis of snowmelt properties by using polarization spectrum in the future and are also of great importance in fresh water management as well as monitoring natural disasters such as the spring flood.

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  • English Abstract