A Research on Sea Ice Based on Reflected Signals from BeiDou GEO Satellites

For preventing the effects of sea ice disaster, traditional methods for detecting sea ice have some disadvantages, such as inadequate robustness against weather and high cost of real-time detection. The BeiDou GEO satellites could provide stable geometry and better coverage in mid- and low-latitude region where most of the sea ice occur. Based on this consideration, this paper evaluates the usage of BeiDou GEO Satellites reflected signals for accurate real-time Earth observation to study the changes in the sea surface state through remote sensing. BeiDou GEO signals received after reflection from Bohai Bay were analyzed for their sea ice content. The results are in good agreement with a reflected power ratio model [the ratio of the reflected left-handed circular polarization (LHCP) signals and the reflected right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) signals] and sea ice concentration. The average of the reflected power ratio on the sea ice surface is much smaller than that on the sea water surface.