Sea Ice Concentration Retrieval in the Arctic and Antarctic Using FY-3E GNSS-R Data

Recognizing the critical role of polar Sea Ice Concentration (SIC) in climate feedback mechanisms, this study presents the first comprehensive investigation of China’s Fengyun-3E(FY-3E) GNOS-II Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) for bipolar SIC retrieval. Specifically, reflected signals from multiple Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are utilized to extract characteristic parameters from Delay Doppler Maps (DDMs). By integrating regional partitioning and dynamic thresholding for sea ice detection, a Random Forest Regression (RFR) model incorporating a rolling-window training strategy is developed to estimate SIC. The retrieved SIC products are generated at the native GNSS-R observation resolution of approximately 1 × 6 km, with each SIC estimate corresponding to an individual GNSS-R observation time. Owing to the limited daily spatial coverage of GNSS-R measurements, the retrieved SIC results are further aggregated into monthly composites for spatial distribution analysis. The model is trained and validated across both polar regions, including targeted ice–water boundary zones. Retrieved SIC estimates are compared with reference data from the OSI SAF Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS), demonstrating strong agreement. Based on an extensive dataset, the average correlation coefficient (R) reaches 0.9450 in the Arctic and 0.9602 in the Antarctic for the testing set, with corresponding Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of 0.1262 and 0.0818, respectively. Even in the more challenging ice–water transition zones, RMSE values remain within acceptable ranges, reaching 0.1486 in the Arctic and 0.1404 in the Antarctic. This study demonstrates the feasibility and accuracy of GNSS-R-based SIC retrieval, offering a robust and effective approach for cryospheric monitoring at high latitudes in both polar regions.