Airborne spectral reflectance observations at SHEBA from NCAR's Multichannel Cloud Radiometer (MCR)

Observations during the SHEBA / FIRE-ACE campaign from NCAR's Multichannel Cloud Radiometer (MCR) depict the variability of surface spectral reflectance over a 50 x 50 km box centered about the Des Groseilliers. The MCR is a 7-channel (visible, near infrared and thermal infrared) scanning radiometer that was flown aboard the NCAR/NSF C-130 during FIRE-ACE. The MCR's high-resolution view of the arctic surface allows for evaluation of open water fraction, and thus ice concentration. Furthermore, there is a potential to determine areas of ridged ice and, in summer, to delineate ponded ice from unponded ice. The large swath of this instrument permits complete coverage of the box; thus, the data can be applied to determine the subpixel inhomogeneity of satellite (AVHRR) and high-altitude (MODIS from NASA's ER-2) reflectance measurements in the SHEBA area. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.