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Abstract. Wind-driven redistribution of snow on sea ice alters itstopography and microstructure, yet the impact of these processes on radarsignatures is poorly understood. Here, we examine the effects of snowredistribution over Arctic sea ice on radar waveforms and backscattersignatures obtained from a surface-based, fully polarimetric Ka- and Ku-bandradar at incidence angles between 0∘ (nadir) and 50∘.Two wind events in November 2019 during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory forthe Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition are evaluated. During both events, changes in Ka- andKu-band radar waveforms and backscatter coefficients at nadir are observed,coincident with surface topography changes measured by a terrestrial laserscanner. At both frequencies, redistribution caused snow densification atthe surface and the uppermost layers, increasing the scattering at theair–snow interface at nadir and its prevalence as the dominant radar scattering surface. The waveform data also detected the presence of previousair–snow interfaces, buried beneath newly deposited snow. The additionalscattering from previous air–snow interfaces could therefore affect therange retrieved from Ka- and Ku-band satellite altimeters. With increasingincidence angles, the relative scattering contribution of the air–snowinterface decreases, and the snow–sea ice interface scattering increases.Relative to pre-wind event conditions, azimuthally averaged backscatter atnadir during the wind events increases by up to 8 dB (Ka-band) and 5 dB (Ku-band). Results show substantial backscatter variability within the scanarea at all incidence angles and polarizations, in response to increasingwind speed and changes in wind direction. Our results show that snowredistribution and wind compaction need to be accounted for to interpretairborne and satellite radar measurements of snow-covered sea ice. 

Abstract. Northwestern Alaska has been highly affected by changing climatic patternswith new temperature and precipitation maxima over the recent years. Inparticular, the Baldwin and northern Seward peninsulas are characterized byan abundance of thermokarst lakes that are highly dynamic and prone to lakedrainage like many other regions at the southern margins of continuouspermafrost. We used Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and PlanetCubeSat optical remote sensing data to analyze recently observed widespreadlake drainage. We then used synoptic weather data, climate model outputs andlake ice growth simulations to analyze potential drivers and future pathwaysof lake drainage in this region. Following the warmest and wettest winter onrecord in 2017/2018, 192 lakes were identified as having completely orpartially drained by early summer 2018, which exceeded the average drainagerate by a factor of ∼ 10 and doubled the rates of the previousextreme lake drainage years of 2005 and 2006. The combination of abundantrain- and snowfall and extremely warm mean annual air temperatures (MAATs),close to 0 ∘C, may have led to the destabilization of permafrostaround the lake margins. Rapid snow melt and high amounts of excessmeltwater further promoted rapid lateral breaching at lake shores andconsequently sudden drainage of some of the largest lakes of the studyregion that have likely persisted for millennia. We hypothesize that permafrostdestabilization and lake drainage will accelerate and become the dominantdrivers of landscape change in this region. Recent MAATs are already withinthe range of the predictions by the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (UAF SNAP) ensemble climate predictions inscenario RCP6.0 for 2100. With MAAT in 2019 just below 0 ∘C at the nearby Kotzebue, Alaska, climate station, permafrost aggradation in drained lake basins will become less likely after drainage, strongly decreasing the potential for freeze-locking carbon sequestered in lake sediments, signifying a prominent regime shift in ice-rich permafrost lowland regions.