A revised calibration of the interferometric mode of the CryoSat-2 radar altimeter improves ice height and height change measurements in western Greenland

Gray, Laurence; Burgess, David; Copland, Luke; Dunse, Thorben; Langley, Kirsty; Moholdt, Geir

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1041-2017

Articles | Volume 11, issue 3

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1041-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1041-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 11, issue 3

Research article

|

04 May 2017

Research article |

| 04 May 2017

A revised calibration of the interferometric mode of the CryoSat-2 radar altimeter improves ice height and height change measurements in western Greenland

Laurence Gray, David Burgess, Luke Copland, Thorben Dunse, Kirsty Langley, and Geir Moholdt

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1041-2017-supplement

Data sets

CryoSat Ground Segment, Level 1 data, baseline C release ESA https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/-/cryosat-user-tool-7386

IceBridge ATM L2 Icessn Elevation, Slope, and Roughness, Version 2. [ILATM2.002] (https://nsidc.org/icebridge/portal/map) W. B. Krabill https://doi.org/10.5067/CPRXXK3F39RV

Short summary

We use surface height data from west Greenland and Devon Ice Cap to check the performance of the new interferometric mode of the ESA CryoSat radar altimeter. The detailed height comparison allows an improved system calibration and processing methodology and measurement of the height of supraglacial lakes which form each summer around the periphery of the Greenland Ice Cap. The advantages of the SARIn mode suggest that future satellite radar altimeters for glacial ice should use this technology.