Articles | Volume 13, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1409-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1409-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
02 May 2019
Research article |
| 02 May 2019
| 02 May 2019
Snow-driven uncertainty in CryoSat-2-derived Antarctic sea ice thickness – insights from McMurdo Sound
Daniel Price
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800,
Christchurch, New Zealand
Iman Soltanzadeh
Met Service, 30 Salamanca Road, Kelburn, Wellington, 6012, New Zealand
Wolfgang Rack
Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800,
Christchurch, New Zealand
Ethan Dale
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury,
Christchurch, New Zealand
Related authors
Gemma M. Brett, Daniel Price, Wolfgang Rack, and Patricia J. Langhorne
The Cryosphere, 15, 4099–4115, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4099-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4099-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Ice shelf meltwater in the surface ocean affects sea ice formation, causing it to be thicker and, in particular conditions, to have a loose mass of platelet ice crystals called a sub‐ice platelet layer beneath. This causes the sea ice freeboard to stand higher above sea level. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the signature of ice shelf meltwater in the surface ocean manifesting as higher sea ice freeboard in McMurdo Sound is detectable from space using satellite technology.
Christian Haas, Patricia J. Langhorne, Wolfgang Rack, Greg H. Leonard, Gemma M. Brett, Daniel Price, Justin F. Beckers, and Alex J. Gough
The Cryosphere, 15, 247–264, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-247-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-247-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a method to remotely detect proxy signals of Antarctic ice shelf melt under adjacent sea ice. It is based on aircraft surveys with electromagnetic induction sounding. We found year-to-year variability of the ice shelf melt proxy in McMurdo Sound and spatial fine structure that support assumptions about the melt of the McMurdo Ice Shelf. With this method it will be possible to map and detect locations of intense ice shelf melt along the coast of Antarctica.
Gemma Marie Brett, Gregory Howard Leonard, Wolfgang Rack, Christian Haas, Patricia Jean Langhorne, Natalie Robinson, and Anne Irvin
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2724, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2724, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Glacial meltwater with ice crystals flows from beneath ice shelves, causing thicker sea ice with sub-ice platelet layers (SIPL) beneath. Thicker sea ice and SIPL reveal where and how much meltwater is outflowing. We collected continuous measurements of sea ice and SIPL. In winter, we observed rapid SIPL growth with strong winds. In spring, SIPL grew when tides caused offshore circulation. Wind-driven and tidal circulation influence glacial meltwater outflow from ice shelf cavities.
Gemma M. Brett, Daniel Price, Wolfgang Rack, and Patricia J. Langhorne
The Cryosphere, 15, 4099–4115, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4099-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4099-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Ice shelf meltwater in the surface ocean affects sea ice formation, causing it to be thicker and, in particular conditions, to have a loose mass of platelet ice crystals called a sub‐ice platelet layer beneath. This causes the sea ice freeboard to stand higher above sea level. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the signature of ice shelf meltwater in the surface ocean manifesting as higher sea ice freeboard in McMurdo Sound is detectable from space using satellite technology.
Gemma M. Brett, Gregory H. Leonard, Wolfgang Rack, Christian Haas, Patricia J. Langhorne, and Anne Irvin
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-61, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-61, 2021
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Using a geophysical technique, we observe temporal variability in the influence of ice shelf meltwater on coastal sea ice which forms platelet ice crystals which contribute to the thickness of the sea ice and accumulate into a thick mass called a sub-ice platelet layer (SIPL). The variability observed in the SIPL indicated that circulation of ice shelf meltwater out from the cavity in McMurdo Sound is influenced by tides and strong offshore winds which affect surface ocean circulation.
Christian Haas, Patricia J. Langhorne, Wolfgang Rack, Greg H. Leonard, Gemma M. Brett, Daniel Price, Justin F. Beckers, and Alex J. Gough
The Cryosphere, 15, 247–264, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-247-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-247-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a method to remotely detect proxy signals of Antarctic ice shelf melt under adjacent sea ice. It is based on aircraft surveys with electromagnetic induction sounding. We found year-to-year variability of the ice shelf melt proxy in McMurdo Sound and spatial fine structure that support assumptions about the melt of the McMurdo Ice Shelf. With this method it will be possible to map and detect locations of intense ice shelf melt along the coast of Antarctica.
Christian T. Wild, Oliver J. Marsh, and Wolfgang Rack
The Cryosphere, 13, 3171–3191, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3171-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3171-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In Antarctica, ocean tides control the motion of ice sheets near the coastline as well as melt rates underneath the floating ice. By combining the spatial advantage of rare but highly accurate satellite images with the temporal advantage of tide-prediction models, vertical displacement of floating ice due to ocean tides can now be predicted accurately. This allows the detailed study of ice-flow dynamics in areas that matter the most to the stability of Antarctica's ice sheets.
Wolfgang Rack, Matt A. King, Oliver J. Marsh, Christian T. Wild, and Dana Floricioiu
The Cryosphere, 11, 2481–2490, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2481-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2481-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Predicting changes of the Antarctic Ice Sheet involves fully understanding ice dynamics at the transition between grounded and floating ice. We map tidal bending of ice by satellite using InSAR, and we use precise GPS measurements with assumptions of tidal elastic bending to better interpret the satellite signal. It allows us to better define the grounding-line position and to refine the shape of tidal flexure profiles.
Ethan R. Dale, Adrian J. McDonald, Jack H. J. Coggins, and Wolfgang Rack
The Cryosphere, 11, 267–280, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-267-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-267-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This work studies the affects of strong winds on sea ice within the Ross Sea polynya. We compare both automatic weather station (AWS) and reanalysis wind data with sea ice concentration (SIC) measurements based on satellite images. Due to its low resolution, the reanalysis data were unable to reproduce several relationships found between the AWS and SIC data. We find that the strongest third of wind speeds had the most significant affect on SIC and resulting sea ice production.
D. Price, W. Rack, P. J. Langhorne, C. Haas, G. Leonard, and K. Barnsdale
The Cryosphere, 8, 1031–1039, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1031-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1031-2014, 2014
O. J. Marsh, W. Rack, D. Floricioiu, N. R. Golledge, and W. Lawson
The Cryosphere, 7, 1375–1384, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1375-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1375-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Discipline: Sea ice | Subject: Remote Sensing
MMSeaIce: a collection of techniques for improving sea ice mapping with a multi-task model
Lead fractions from SAR-derived sea ice divergence during MOSAiC
Ice floe segmentation and floe size distribution in airborne and high-resolution optical satellite images: towards an automated labelling deep learning approach
Sea ice transport and replenishment across and within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: 2016–2022
New estimates of pan-Arctic sea ice–atmosphere neutral drag coefficients from ICESat-2 elevation data
Relevance of warm air intrusions for Arctic satellite sea ice concentration time series
Observing the evolution of summer melt on multiyear sea ice with ICESat-2 and Sentinel-2
Spaceborne thermal infrared observations of Arctic sea ice leads at 30 m resolution
SAR Deep Learning Sea Ice Retrieval Trained with Airborne Laser Scanner Measurements from the MOSAiC Expedition
Wind redistribution of snow impacts the Ka- and Ku-band radar signatures of Arctic sea ice
First observations of sea ice flexural–gravity waves with ground-based radar interferometry in Utqiaġvik, Alaska
Feasibility of retrieving Arctic sea ice thickness from the Chinese HY-2B Ku-band radar altimeter
Sea ice classification of TerraSAR-X ScanSAR images for the MOSAiC expedition incorporating per-class incidence angle dependency of image texture
Aerial observations of sea ice breakup by ship waves
Monitoring Arctic thin ice: a comparison between CryoSat-2 SAR altimetry data and MODIS thermal-infrared imagery
The effects of surface roughness on the calculated, spectral, conical–conical reflectance factor as an alternative to the bidirectional reflectance distribution function of bare sea ice
Inter-comparison and evaluation of Arctic sea ice type products
Estimating the uncertainty of sea-ice area and sea-ice extent from satellite retrievals
A simple model for daily basin-wide thermodynamic sea ice thickness growth retrieval
Ice ridge density signatures in high-resolution SAR images
Rain on snow (ROS) understudied in sea ice remote sensing: a multi-sensor analysis of ROS during MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate)
Quantifying the effects of background concentrations of crude oil pollution on sea ice albedo
Characterizing the sea-ice floe size distribution in the Canada Basin from high-resolution optical satellite imagery
Generating large-scale sea ice motion from Sentinel-1 and the RADARSAT Constellation Mission using the Environment and Climate Change Canada automated sea ice tracking system
Rotational drift in Antarctic sea ice: pronounced cyclonic features and differences between data products
Satellite passive microwave sea-ice concentration data set intercomparison using Landsat data
Cross-platform classification of level and deformed sea ice considering per-class incident angle dependency of backscatter intensity
Advances in altimetric snow depth estimates using bi-frequency SARAL and CryoSat-2 Ka–Ku measurements
Antarctic snow-covered sea ice topography derivation from TanDEM-X using polarimetric SAR interferometry
Impacts of snow data and processing methods on the interpretation of long-term changes in Baffin Bay early spring sea ice thickness
A lead-width distribution for Antarctic sea ice: a case study for the Weddell Sea with high-resolution Sentinel-2 images
Satellite altimetry detection of ice-shelf-influenced fast ice
MOSAiC drift expedition from October 2019 to July 2020: sea ice conditions from space and comparison with previous years
Towards a swath-to-swath sea-ice drift product for the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer mission
Spaceborne infrared imagery for early detection of Weddell Polynya opening
Estimating instantaneous sea-ice dynamics from space using the bi-static radar measurements of Earth Explorer 10 candidate Harmony
Estimating subpixel turbulent heat flux over leads from MODIS thermal infrared imagery with deep learning
An improved sea ice detection algorithm using MODIS: application as a new European sea ice extent indicator
Faster decline and higher variability in the sea ice thickness of the marginal Arctic seas when accounting for dynamic snow cover
Estimation of degree of sea ice ridging in the Bay of Bothnia based on geolocated photon heights from ICESat-2
Linking sea ice deformation to ice thickness redistribution using high-resolution satellite and airborne observations
Simulated Ka- and Ku-band radar altimeter height and freeboard estimation on snow-covered Arctic sea ice
Improved machine-learning-based open-water–sea-ice–cloud discrimination over wintertime Antarctic sea ice using MODIS thermal-infrared imagery
Spring melt pond fraction in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago predicted from RADARSAT-2
Simultaneous estimation of wintertime sea ice thickness and snow depth from space-borne freeboard measurements
Observations of sea ice melt from Operation IceBridge imagery
Estimating statistical errors in retrievals of ice velocity and deformation parameters from satellite images and buoy arrays
Brief Communication: Mesoscale and submesoscale dynamics in the marginal ice zone from sequential synthetic aperture radar observations
Classification of sea ice types in Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar images
A linear model to derive melt pond depth on Arctic sea ice from hyperspectral data
Xinwei Chen, Muhammed Patel, Fernando J. Pena Cantu, Jinman Park, Javier Noa Turnes, Linlin Xu, K. Andrea Scott, and David A. Clausi
The Cryosphere, 18, 1621–1632, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1621-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1621-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This paper introduces an automated sea ice mapping pipeline utilizing a multi-task U-Net architecture. It attained the top score of 86.3 % in the AutoICE challenge. Ablation studies revealed that incorporating brightness temperature data and spatial–temporal information significantly enhanced model accuracy. Accurate sea ice mapping is vital for comprehending the Arctic environment and its global climate effects, underscoring the potential of deep learning.
Luisa von Albedyll, Stefan Hendricks, Nils Hutter, Dmitrii Murashkin, Lars Kaleschke, Sascha Willmes, Linda Thielke, Xiangshan Tian-Kunze, Gunnar Spreen, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere, 18, 1259–1285, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1259-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1259-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Leads (openings in sea ice cover) are created by sea ice dynamics. Because they are important for many processes in the Arctic winter climate, we aim to detect them with satellites. We present two new techniques to detect lead widths of a few hundred meters at high spatial resolution (700 m) and independent of clouds or sun illumination. We use the MOSAiC drift 2019–2020 in the Arctic for our case study and compare our new products to other existing lead products.
Qin Zhang and Nick Hughes
The Cryosphere, 17, 5519–5537, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5519-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5519-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
To alleviate tedious manual image annotations for training deep learning (DL) models in floe instance segmentation, we employ a classical image processing technique to automatically label floes in images. We then apply a DL semantic method for fast and adaptive floe instance segmentation from high-resolution airborne and satellite images. A post-processing algorithm is also proposed to refine the segmentation and further to derive acceptable floe size distributions at local and global scales.
Stephen E. L. Howell, David G. Babb, Jack C. Landy, Isolde A. Glissenaar, Kaitlin McNeil, Benoit Montpetit, and Mike Brady
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2366, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2366, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The CAA serves as both a source and sink for sea ice from the Arctic Ocean, while also exporting sea ice into Baffin Bay and is also an important region with respect to navigating the Northwest Passage. Here, we quantify sea ice transport and replenishment across and within the CAA from 2016 to 2022. We also provide the first estimates of the ice area and volume flux within the CAA from the Queen Elizabeth Islands to the Parry Channel which spans the central region of the Northwest Passage.
Alexander Mchedlishvili, Christof Lüpkes, Alek Petty, Michel Tsamados, and Gunnar Spreen
The Cryosphere, 17, 4103–4131, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4103-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4103-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we looked at sea ice–atmosphere drag coefficients, quantities that help with characterizing the friction between the atmosphere and sea ice, and vice versa. Using ICESat-2, a laser altimeter that measures elevation differences by timing how long it takes for photons it sends out to return to itself, we could map the roughness, i.e., how uneven the surface is. From roughness we then estimate drag force, the frictional force between sea ice and the atmosphere, across the Arctic.
Philip Rostosky and Gunnar Spreen
The Cryosphere, 17, 3867–3881, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3867-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3867-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
During winter, storms entering the Arctic region can bring warm air into the cold environment. Strong increases in air temperature modify the characteristics of the Arctic snow and ice cover. The Arctic sea ice cover can be monitored by satellites observing the natural emission of the Earth's surface. In this study, we show that during warm air intrusions the change in the snow characteristics influences the satellite-derived sea ice cover, leading to a false reduction of the estimated ice area.
Ellen M. Buckley, Sinéad L. Farrell, Ute C. Herzfeld, Melinda A. Webster, Thomas Trantow, Oliwia N. Baney, Kyle A. Duncan, Huilin Han, and Matthew Lawson
The Cryosphere, 17, 3695–3719, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3695-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3695-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we use satellite observations to investigate the evolution of melt ponds on the Arctic sea ice surface. We derive melt pond depth from ICESat-2 measurements of the pond surface and bathymetry and melt pond fraction (MPF) from the classification of Sentinel-2 imagery. MPF increases to a peak of 16 % in late June and then decreases, while depth increases steadily. This work demonstrates the ability to track evolving melt conditions in three dimensions throughout the summer.
Yujia Qiu, Xiao-Ming Li, and Huadong Guo
The Cryosphere, 17, 2829–2849, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2829-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2829-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Spaceborne thermal infrared sensors with kilometer-scale resolution cannot support adequate parameterization of Arctic leads. For the first time, we applied the 30 m resolution data from the Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (TIS) on the emerging SDGSAT-1 to detect Arctic leads. Validation with Sentinel-2 data shows high accuracy for the three TIS bands. Compared to MODIS, the TIS presents more narrow leads, demonstrating its great potential for observing previously unresolvable Arctic leads.
Karl Kortum, Suman Singha, Gunnar Spreen, Nils Hutter, Arttu Jutila, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-72, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-72, 2023
Revised manuscript accepted for TC
Short summary
Short summary
A dataset of 20 radar satellite acquisitions and near simultaneous helicopter-based measurements of the ice topography during an expedition is constructed and used to train a variety of deep learning algorithms. The results show, that the ice types derived directly from the helicopter measurement are harder to retrieve than those from human annotations. Models that can learn from the spatial distribution of measured sea ice classes are shown to have a clear advantage over those that cannot.
Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Robbie Mallett, Julienne Stroeve, Torsten Geldsetzer, Randall Scharien, Rasmus Tonboe, John Yackel, Jack Landy, David Clemens-Sewall, Arttu Jutila, David N. Wagner, Daniela Krampe, Marcus Huntemann, Mallik Mahmud, David Jensen, Thomas Newman, Stefan Hendricks, Gunnar Spreen, Amy Macfarlane, Martin Schneebeli, James Mead, Robert Ricker, Michael Gallagher, Claude Duguay, Ian Raphael, Chris Polashenski, Michel Tsamados, Ilkka Matero, and Mario Hoppmann
The Cryosphere, 17, 2211–2229, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2211-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2211-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We show that wind redistributes snow on Arctic sea ice, and Ka- and Ku-band radar measurements detect both newly deposited snow and buried snow layers that can affect the accuracy of snow depth estimates on sea ice. Radar, laser, meteorological, and snow data were collected during the MOSAiC expedition. With frequent occurrence of storms in the Arctic, our results show that
wind-redistributed snow needs to be accounted for to improve snow depth estimates on sea ice from satellite radars.
Dyre Oliver Dammann, Mark A. Johnson, Andrew R. Mahoney, and Emily R. Fedders
The Cryosphere, 17, 1609–1622, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1609-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1609-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the GAMMA Portable Radar Interferometer (GPRI) as a tool for evaluating flexural–gravity waves in sea ice in near real time. With a GPRI mounted on grounded ice near Utqiaġvik, Alaska, we identify 20–50 s infragravity waves in landfast ice with ~1 mm amplitude during 23–24 April 2021. Observed wave speed and periods compare well with modeled wave propagation and on-ice accelerometers, confirming the ability to track propagation and properties of waves over hundreds of meters.
Zhaoqing Dong, Lijian Shi, Mingsen Lin, Yongjun Jia, Tao Zeng, and Suhui Wu
The Cryosphere, 17, 1389–1410, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1389-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1389-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We try to explore the application of SGDR data in polar sea ice thickness. Through this study, we find that it seems difficult to obtain reasonable results by using conventional methods. So we use the 15 lowest points per 25 km to estimate SSHA to retrieve more reasonable Arctic radar freeboard and thickness. This study also provides reference for reprocessing L1 data. We will release products that are more reasonable and suitable for polar sea ice thickness retrieval to better evaluate HY-2B.
Wenkai Guo, Polona Itkin, Suman Singha, Anthony P. Doulgeris, Malin Johansson, and Gunnar Spreen
The Cryosphere, 17, 1279–1297, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1279-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1279-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Sea ice maps are produced to cover the MOSAiC Arctic expedition (2019–2020) and divide sea ice into scientifically meaningful classes. We use a high-resolution X-band synthetic aperture radar dataset and show how image brightness and texture systematically vary across the images. We use an algorithm that reliably corrects this effect and achieve good results, as evaluated by comparisons to ground observations and other studies. The sea ice maps are useful as a basis for future MOSAiC studies.
Elie Dumas-Lefebvre and Dany Dumont
The Cryosphere, 17, 827–842, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-827-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-827-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
By changing the shape of ice floes, wave-induced sea ice breakup dramatically affects the large-scale dynamics of sea ice. As this process is also the trigger of multiple others, it was deemed relevant to study how breakup itself affects the ice floe size distribution. To do so, a ship sailed close to ice floes, and the breakup that it generated was recorded with a drone. The obtained data shed light on the underlying physics of wave-induced sea ice breakup.
Felix L. Müller, Stephan Paul, Stefan Hendricks, and Denise Dettmering
The Cryosphere, 17, 809–825, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-809-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-809-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Thinning sea ice has significant impacts on the energy exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean. In this study we present visual and quantitative comparisons of thin-ice detections obtained from classified Cryosat-2 radar reflections and thin-ice-thickness estimates derived from MODIS thermal-infrared imagery. In addition to good comparability, the results of the study indicate the potential for a deeper understanding of sea ice in the polar seas and improved processing of altimeter data.
Maxim L. Lamare, John D. Hedley, and Martin D. King
The Cryosphere, 17, 737–751, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-737-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-737-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The reflectivity of sea ice is crucial for modern climate change and for monitoring sea ice from satellites. The reflectivity depends on the angle at which the ice is viewed and the angle illuminated. The directional reflectivity is calculated as a function of viewing angle, illuminating angle, thickness, wavelength and surface roughness. Roughness cannot be considered independent of thickness, illumination angle and the wavelength. Remote sensors will use the data to image sea ice from space.
Yufang Ye, Yanbing Luo, Yan Sun, Mohammed Shokr, Signe Aaboe, Fanny Girard-Ardhuin, Fengming Hui, Xiao Cheng, and Zhuoqi Chen
The Cryosphere, 17, 279–308, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-279-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-279-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic sea ice type (SITY) variation is a sensitive indicator of climate change. This study gives a systematic inter-comparison and evaluation of eight SITY products. Main results include differences in SITY products being significant, with average Arctic multiyear ice extent up to 1.8×106 km2; Ku-band scatterometer SITY products generally performing better; and factors such as satellite inputs, classification methods, training datasets and post-processing highly impacting their performance.
Andreas Wernecke, Dirk Notz, Stefan Kern, and Thomas Lavergne
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1189, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1189, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The total area of Arctic sea ice (SIA) is routinely monitored with the help of satellite measurements, which is an important climate indicator. Uncertainties in observations of sea-ice concentration (SIC) cancel out when averaging but the degree to which this is happening has been unclear. We calculate the uncertainty in SIA based on uncertainties in SIC and find that daily SIA estimates have uncertainties of about 300 000 km2. The 2002 to 2017 September trend is 105 000 ± 9 000 km2 per year.
James Anheuser, Yinghui Liu, and Jeffrey R. Key
The Cryosphere, 16, 4403–4421, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4403-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4403-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A prominent part of the polar climate system is sea ice, a better understanding of which would lead to better understanding Earth's climate. Newly published methods for observing the temperature of sea ice have made possible a new method for estimating daily sea ice thickness growth from space using an energy balance. The method compares well with existing sea ice thickness observations.
Mikko Lensu and Markku Similä
The Cryosphere, 16, 4363–4377, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4363-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4363-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Ice ridges form a compressing ice cover. From above they appear as walls of up to few metres in height and extend even kilometres across the ice. Below they may reach tens of metres under the sea surface. Ridges need to be observed for the purposes of ice forecasting and ice information production. This relies mostly on ridging signatures discernible in radar satellite (SAR) images. New methods to quantify ridging from SAR have been developed and are shown to agree with field observations.
Julienne Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Ruzica Dadic, Philip Rostosky, Michael Gallagher, Robbie Mallett, Andrew Barrett, Stefan Hendricks, Rasmus Tonboe, Michelle McCrystall, Mark Serreze, Linda Thielke, Gunnar Spreen, Thomas Newman, John Yackel, Robert Ricker, Michel Tsamados, Amy Macfarlane, Henna-Reetta Hannula, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 16, 4223–4250, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4223-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4223-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Impacts of rain on snow (ROS) on satellite-retrieved sea ice variables remain to be fully understood. This study evaluates the impacts of ROS over sea ice on active and passive microwave data collected during the 2019–20 MOSAiC expedition. Rainfall and subsequent refreezing of the snowpack significantly altered emitted and backscattered radar energy, laying important groundwork for understanding their impacts on operational satellite retrievals of various sea ice geophysical variables.
Benjamin Heikki Redmond Roche and Martin D. King
The Cryosphere, 16, 3949–3970, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3949-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3949-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Sea ice is bright, playing an important role in reflecting incoming solar radiation. The reflectivity of sea ice is affected by the presence of pollutants, such as crude oil, even at low concentrations. Modelling how the brightness of three types of sea ice is affected by increasing concentrations of crude oils shows that the type of oil, the type of ice, the thickness of the ice, and the size of the oil droplets are important factors. This shows that sea ice is vulnerable to oil pollution.
Alexis Anne Denton and Mary-Louise Timmermans
The Cryosphere, 16, 1563–1578, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1563-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1563-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic sea ice has a distribution of ice sizes that provides insight into the physics of the ice. We examine this distribution from satellite imagery from 1999 to 2014 in the Canada Basin. We find that it appears as a power law whose power becomes less negative with increasing ice concentrations and has a seasonality tied to that of ice concentration. Results suggest ice concentration be considered in models of this distribution and are important for understanding sea ice in a warming Arctic.
Stephen E. L. Howell, Mike Brady, and Alexander S. Komarov
The Cryosphere, 16, 1125–1139, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1125-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1125-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We describe, apply, and validate the Environment and Climate Change Canada automated sea ice tracking system (ECCC-ASITS) that routinely generates large-scale sea ice motion (SIM) over the pan-Arctic domain using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The ECCC-ASITS was applied to the incoming image streams of Sentinel-1AB and the RADARSAT Constellation Mission from March 2020 to October 2021 using a total of 135 471 SAR images and generated new SIM datasets (i.e., 7 d 25 km and 3 d 6.25 km).
Wayne de Jager and Marcello Vichi
The Cryosphere, 16, 925–940, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-925-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-925-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Ice motion can be used to better understand how weather and climate change affect the ice. Antarctic sea ice extent has shown large variability over the observed period, and dynamical features may also have changed. Our method allows for the quantification of rotational motion caused by wind and how this may have changed with time. Cyclonic motion dominates the Atlantic sector, particularly from 2015 onwards, while anticyclonic motion has remained comparatively small and unchanged.
Stefan Kern, Thomas Lavergne, Leif Toudal Pedersen, Rasmus Tage Tonboe, Louisa Bell, Maybritt Meyer, and Luise Zeigermann
The Cryosphere, 16, 349–378, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-349-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-349-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
High-resolution clear-sky optical satellite imagery has rarely been used to evaluate satellite passive microwave sea-ice concentration products beyond case-study level. By comparing 10 such products with sea-ice concentration estimated from > 350 such optical images in both hemispheres, we expand results of earlier evaluation studies for these products. Results stress the need to look beyond precision and accuracy and to discuss the evaluation data’s quality and filters applied in the products.
Wenkai Guo, Polona Itkin, Johannes Lohse, Malin Johansson, and Anthony Paul Doulgeris
The Cryosphere, 16, 237–257, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-237-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-237-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses radar satellite data categorized into different sea ice types to detect ice deformation, which is significant for climate science and ship navigation. For this, we examine radar signal differences of sea ice between two similar satellite sensors and show an optimal way to apply categorization methods across sensors, so more data can be used for this purpose. This study provides a basis for future reliable and constant detection of ice deformation remotely through satellite data.
Florent Garnier, Sara Fleury, Gilles Garric, Jérôme Bouffard, Michel Tsamados, Antoine Laforge, Marion Bocquet, Renée Mie Fredensborg Hansen, and Frédérique Remy
The Cryosphere, 15, 5483–5512, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5483-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5483-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Snow depth data are essential to monitor the impacts of climate change on sea ice volume variations and their impacts on the climate system. For that purpose, we present and assess the altimetric snow depth product, computed in both hemispheres from CryoSat-2 and SARAL satellite data. The use of these data instead of the common climatology reduces the sea ice thickness by about 30 cm over the 2013–2019 period. These data are also crucial to argue for the launch of the CRISTAL satellite mission.
Lanqing Huang, Georg Fischer, and Irena Hajnsek
The Cryosphere, 15, 5323–5344, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5323-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5323-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows an elevation difference between the radar interferometric measurements and the optical measurements from a coordinated campaign over the snow-covered deformed sea ice in the western Weddell Sea, Antarctica. The objective is to correct the penetration bias of microwaves and to generate a precise sea ice topographic map, including the snow depth on top. Excellent performance for sea ice topographic retrieval is achieved with the proposed model and the developed retrieval scheme.
Isolde A. Glissenaar, Jack C. Landy, Alek A. Petty, Nathan T. Kurtz, and Julienne C. Stroeve
The Cryosphere, 15, 4909–4927, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4909-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4909-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Scientists can estimate sea ice thickness using satellites that measure surface height. To determine the sea ice thickness, we also need to know the snow depth and density. This paper shows that the chosen snow depth product has a considerable impact on the findings of sea ice thickness state and trends in Baffin Bay, showing mean thinning with some snow depth products and mean thickening with others. This shows that it is important to better understand and monitor snow depth on sea ice.
Marek Muchow, Amelie U. Schmitt, and Lars Kaleschke
The Cryosphere, 15, 4527–4537, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4527-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4527-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Linear-like openings in sea ice, also called leads, occur with widths from meters to kilometers. We use satellite images from Sentinel-2 with a resolution of 10 m to identify leads and measure their widths. With that we investigate the frequency of lead widths using two different statistical methods, since other studies have shown a dependency of heat exchange on the lead width. We are the first to address the sea-ice lead-width distribution in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica.
Gemma M. Brett, Daniel Price, Wolfgang Rack, and Patricia J. Langhorne
The Cryosphere, 15, 4099–4115, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4099-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4099-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Ice shelf meltwater in the surface ocean affects sea ice formation, causing it to be thicker and, in particular conditions, to have a loose mass of platelet ice crystals called a sub‐ice platelet layer beneath. This causes the sea ice freeboard to stand higher above sea level. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the signature of ice shelf meltwater in the surface ocean manifesting as higher sea ice freeboard in McMurdo Sound is detectable from space using satellite technology.
Thomas Krumpen, Luisa von Albedyll, Helge F. Goessling, Stefan Hendricks, Bennet Juhls, Gunnar Spreen, Sascha Willmes, H. Jakob Belter, Klaus Dethloff, Christian Haas, Lars Kaleschke, Christian Katlein, Xiangshan Tian-Kunze, Robert Ricker, Philip Rostosky, Janna Rückert, Suman Singha, and Julia Sokolova
The Cryosphere, 15, 3897–3920, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3897-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3897-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We use satellite data records collected along the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) drift to categorize ice conditions that shaped and characterized the floe and surroundings during the expedition. A comparison with previous years is made whenever possible. The aim of this analysis is to provide a basis and reference for subsequent research in the six main research areas of atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, biogeochemistry, remote sensing and ecology.
Thomas Lavergne, Montserrat Piñol Solé, Emily Down, and Craig Donlon
The Cryosphere, 15, 3681–3698, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3681-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3681-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Pushed by winds and ocean currents, polar sea ice is on the move. We use passive microwave satellites to observe this motion. The images from their orbits are often put together into daily images before motion is measured. In our study, we measure motion from the individual orbits directly and not from the daily images. We obtain many more motion vectors, and they are more accurate. This can be used for current and future satellites, e.g. the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR).
Céline Heuzé, Lu Zhou, Martin Mohrmann, and Adriano Lemos
The Cryosphere, 15, 3401–3421, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3401-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3401-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
For navigation or science planning, knowing when sea ice will open in advance is a prerequisite. Yet, to date, routine spaceborne microwave observations of sea ice are unable to do so. We present the first method based on spaceborne infrared that can forecast an opening several days ahead. We develop it specifically for the Weddell Polynya, a large hole in the Antarctic winter ice cover that unexpectedly re-opened for the first time in 40 years in 2016, and determine why the polynya opened.
Marcel Kleinherenbrink, Anton Korosov, Thomas Newman, Andreas Theodosiou, Alexander S. Komarov, Yuanhao Li, Gert Mulder, Pierre Rampal, Julienne Stroeve, and Paco Lopez-Dekker
The Cryosphere, 15, 3101–3118, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3101-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3101-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Harmony is one of the Earth Explorer 10 candidates that has the chance of being selected for launch in 2028. The mission consists of two satellites that fly in formation with Sentinel-1D, which carries a side-looking radar system. By receiving Sentinel-1's signals reflected from the surface, Harmony is able to observe instantaneous elevation and two-dimensional velocity at the surface. As such, Harmony's data allow the retrieval of sea-ice drift and wave spectra in sea-ice-covered regions.
Zhixiang Yin, Xiaodong Li, Yong Ge, Cheng Shang, Xinyan Li, Yun Du, and Feng Ling
The Cryosphere, 15, 2835–2856, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2835-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2835-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
MODIS thermal infrared (TIR) imagery provides promising data to study the rapid variations in the Arctic turbulent heat flux (THF). The accuracy of estimated THF, however, is low (especially for small leads) due to the coarse resolution of the MODIS TIR data. We train a deep neural network to enhance the spatial resolution of estimated THF over leads from MODIS TIR imagery. The method is found to be effective and can generate a result which is close to that derived from Landsat-8 TIR imagery.
Joan Antoni Parera-Portell, Raquel Ubach, and Charles Gignac
The Cryosphere, 15, 2803–2818, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2803-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2803-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We describe a new method to map sea ice and water at 500 m resolution using data acquired by the MODIS sensors. The strength of this method is that it achieves high-accuracy results and is capable of attenuating unwanted resolution-breaking effects caused by cloud masking. Our resulting March and September monthly aggregates reflect the loss of sea ice in the European Arctic during the 2000–2019 period and show the algorithm's usefulness as a sea ice monitoring tool.
Robbie D. C. Mallett, Julienne C. Stroeve, Michel Tsamados, Jack C. Landy, Rosemary Willatt, Vishnu Nandan, and Glen E. Liston
The Cryosphere, 15, 2429–2450, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2429-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2429-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We re-estimate pan-Arctic sea ice thickness (SIT) values by combining data from the Envisat and CryoSat-2 missions with data from a new, reanalysis-driven snow model. Because a decreasing amount of ice is being hidden below the waterline by the weight of overlying snow, we argue that SIT may be declining faster than previously calculated in some regions. Because the snow product varies from year to year, our new SIT calculations also display much more year-to-year variability.
Renée Mie Fredensborg Hansen, Eero Rinne, Sinéad Louise Farrell, and Henriette Skourup
The Cryosphere, 15, 2511–2529, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2511-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2511-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Ice navigators rely on timely information about ice conditions to ensure safe passage through ice-covered waters, and one parameter, the degree of ice ridging (DIR), is particularly useful. We have investigated the possibility of estimating DIR from the geolocated photons of ICESat-2 (IS2) in the Bay of Bothnia, show that IS2 retrievals from different DIR areas differ significantly, and present some of the first steps in creating sea ice applications beyond e.g. thickness retrieval.
Luisa von Albedyll, Christian Haas, and Wolfgang Dierking
The Cryosphere, 15, 2167–2186, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2167-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2167-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Convergent sea ice motion produces a thick ice cover through ridging. We studied sea ice deformation derived from high-resolution satellite imagery and related it to the corresponding thickness change. We found that deformation explains the observed dynamic thickness change. We show that deformation can be used to model realistic ice thickness distributions. Our results revealed new relationships between thickness redistribution and deformation that could improve sea ice models.
Rasmus T. Tonboe, Vishnu Nandan, John Yackel, Stefan Kern, Leif Toudal Pedersen, and Julienne Stroeve
The Cryosphere, 15, 1811–1822, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1811-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1811-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A relationship between the Ku-band radar scattering horizon and snow depth is found using a radar scattering model. This relationship has implications for (1) the use of snow climatology in the conversion of satellite radar freeboard into sea ice thickness and (2) the impact of variability in measured snow depth on the derived ice thickness. For both 1 and 2, the impact of using a snow climatology versus the actual snow depth is relatively small.
Stephan Paul and Marcus Huntemann
The Cryosphere, 15, 1551–1565, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1551-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1551-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Cloud cover in the polar regions is difficult to identify at night when using only thermal-infrared data. This is due to occurrences of warm clouds over cold sea ice and cold clouds over warm sea ice. Especially the standard MODIS cloud mask frequently tends towards classifying open water and/or thin ice as cloud cover. Using a neural network, we present an improved discrimination between sea-ice, open-water and/or thin-ice, and cloud pixels in nighttime MODIS thermal-infrared satellite data.
Stephen E. L. Howell, Randall K. Scharien, Jack Landy, and Mike Brady
The Cryosphere, 14, 4675–4686, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4675-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4675-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Melt ponds form on the surface of Arctic sea ice during spring and have been shown to exert a strong influence on summer sea ice area. Here, we use RADARSAT-2 satellite imagery to estimate the predicted peak spring melt pond fraction in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from 2009–2018. Our results show that RADARSAT-2 estimates of peak melt pond fraction can be used to provide predictive information about summer sea ice area within certain regions of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
Hoyeon Shi, Byung-Ju Sohn, Gorm Dybkjær, Rasmus Tage Tonboe, and Sang-Moo Lee
The Cryosphere, 14, 3761–3783, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3761-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3761-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
To estimate sea ice thickness from satellite freeboard measurements, snow depth information has been required; however, the snow depth estimate has been considered largely uncertain. We propose a new method to estimate sea ice thickness and snow depth simultaneously from freeboards by imposing a thermodynamic constraint. Obtained ice thicknesses and snow depths were consistent with airborne measurements, suggesting that uncertainty of ice thickness caused by uncertain snow depth can be reduced.
Nicholas C. Wright, Chris M. Polashenski, Scott T. McMichael, and Ross A. Beyer
The Cryosphere, 14, 3523–3536, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3523-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3523-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This work presents a new dataset of sea ice surface fractions along NASA Operation IceBridge flight tracks created by processing hundreds of thousands of aerial images. These results are then analyzed to investigate the behavior of meltwater on first-year ice in comparison to multiyear ice. We find preliminary evidence that first-year ice frequently has a lower melt pond fraction than adjacent multiyear ice, contrary to established knowledge in the sea ice community.
Wolfgang Dierking, Harry L. Stern, and Jennifer K. Hutchings
The Cryosphere, 14, 2999–3016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2999-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2999-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Monitoring deformation of sea ice is useful for studying effects of ice compression and divergent motion on the ice mass balance and ocean–ice–atmosphere interactions. In calculations of deformation parameters not only the measurement uncertainty of drift vectors has to be considered. The size of the area and the time interval used in the calculations have to be chosen within certain limits to make sure that the uncertainties of deformation parameters are smaller than their real magnitudes.
Igor E. Kozlov, Evgeny V. Plotnikov, and Georgy E. Manucharyan
The Cryosphere, 14, 2941–2947, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2941-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2941-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Here we demonstrate a recently emerged opportunity to retrieve high-resolution surface current velocities from sequential spaceborne radar images taken over low-concentration ice regions of polar oceans. Such regularly available data uniquely resolve complex surface ocean dynamics even at small scales and can be used in operational applications to assess and predict transport and distribution of biogeochemical substances and pollutants in ice-covered waters.
Jeong-Won Park, Anton Andreevich Korosov, Mohamed Babiker, Joong-Sun Won, Morten Wergeland Hansen, and Hyun-Cheol Kim
The Cryosphere, 14, 2629–2645, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2629-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2629-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
A new Sentinel-1 radar-based sea ice classification algorithm is proposed. We show that the readily available ice charts from operational ice services can reduce the amount of manual work in preparation of large amounts of training/testing data and feed highly reliable data to the trainer in an efficient way. Test results showed that the classifier is capable of retrieving three generalized cover types with overall accuracy of 87 % and 67 % in the winter and summer seasons, respectively.
Marcel König and Natascha Oppelt
The Cryosphere, 14, 2567–2579, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2567-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2567-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We used data that we collected on RV Polarstern cruise PS106 in summer 2017 to develop a model for the derivation of melt pond depth on Arctic sea ice from reflectance measurements. We simulated reflectances of melt ponds of varying color and water depth and used the sun zenith angle and the slope of the log-scaled reflectance at 710 nm to derive pond depth. We validated the model on the in situ melt pond data and found it to derive pond depth very accurately.
Cited articles
Agustsson, H. and Olafsson, H.: Simulating a severe windstorm in complex
terrain, Meteorol. Atmos. Phys., 103, 173–185,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-008-0347-y, 2007.
Armitage, T. W. K. and Davidson, M. W. J.: Using the Interferometric
Capabilities of the ESA CryoSat-2 Mission to Improve the Accuracy of Sea Ice
Freeboard Retrievals, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 529–536,
https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2013.2242082, 2014.
Beaven, S. G., Lockhart, G. L., Gogineni, S. P., Hossetnmostafa, A. R.,
Jezek, K., Gow, A. J., Perovich, D. K., Fung, A. K., and Tjuatja, S.:
Laboratory measurements of radar backscatter from bare and snow-covered
saline ice sheets, Int. J. Remote Sens., 16, 851–876, 1995.
Bouffard, J.: CryoSat-2 Level 2 product evolutions and quality improvements
in Baseline C, available at:
https://earth.esa.int/documents/10174/1773005/C2-Evolution-BaselineC-Level2-V3
(last access: January 2018),
2015.
Bromwich, D. H. and Fogt, R. L.: Strong Trends in the Skill of the ERA-40
and NCEP–NCAR Reanalyses in the High and Midlatitudes of the Southern
Hemisphere, 1958–2001, J. Climate, 17, 4603–4619, https://doi.org/10.1175/3241.1, 2004.
Bromwich, D. H., Hines K. M., and Bai, L. S.: Development and testing of Polar
WRF: 2. Arctic Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D08122,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD010300, 2009.
Chen, F. and Dudhia, J.: Coupling an Advanced Land Surface–Hydrology Model
with the Penn State–NCAR MM5 Modeling System. Part I: Model Implementation
and Sensitivity, Mon. Weather Rev., 129, 569–585,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2001)129<0569:CAALSH>2.0.CO;2, 2001.
Comiso, C., Cavalieri, J., and Markus, T.: Sea Ice Concentration, Ice
Temperature, and Snow Depth Using AMSR-E Data, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 41,
243–252, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2002.808317, 2003.
Dee, D. P., Uppala, S. M., Simmons, A. J., Berrisford, P., Poli, P.,
Kobayashi, S., Andrae, U., Balmaseda, M. A., Balsamo, G., Bauer, P.,
Bechtold, P., Beljaars, A. C. M., van de Berg, L., Bidlot, J., Bormann, N.,
Delsol, C., Dragani, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A. J., Haimberger, L., Healy, S.
B., Hersbach, H., Hólm, E. V., Isaksen, L., Kållberg, P., Köhler,
M., Matricardi, M., Mcnally, A. P., Monge-Sanz, B. M., Morcrette, J. J.,
Park, B. K., Peubey, C., De Rosnay, P., Tavolato, C., Thépaut, J. N., and
Vitart, F.: The ERA-I reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data
assimilation system, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 137, 553–597,
https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828, 2011.
Drinkwater, M.: Ku-band airborne radar altimeter observations of marginal
sea ice during the 1984 Marginal Ice Zone Experiment, J. Geophys. Res., 96,
4555–4572, https://doi.org/10.1029/90JC01954, 1991.
Dudhia, J.: Numerical study of convection observed during the winter monsoon
experiment using a mesoscale two-dimensional model, J. Atmos. Sci., 46,
3077–3107, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1989)046<3077:NSOCOD>2.0.CO;2, 1989.
Fichefet, T. and Maqueda, M. A. M.: Modelling the influence of snow
accumulation and snow-ice formation on the seasonal cycle of the Antarctic
sea-ice cover, Clim. Dynam., 15, 251–268, https://doi.org/10.1007/s003820050280, 1999.
Frazer, E. K., Langhorne, P. J., Williams, M. J. M., Goetz, K. T., and
Costa, D. P.: A method for correcting seal-borne oceanographic data and
application to the estimation of regional sea ice thickness, J. Marine Syst.,
187, 250–259,m https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2018.08.002, 2018.
Giles, K. A., Laxon, S. W., and Worby, A. P.: Antarctic sea ice elevation
from satellite radar altimetry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L03503,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL031572, 2008.
Gough, A. J., Mahoney, A. R., Langhorne, P. J., Williams, M. J. M., and
Haskell, T. G.: Sea ice salinity and structure: A winter time series of
salinity and its distribution, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans., 117, C03008,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JC007527, 2012.
Hallikainen, M., Ulaby, F., and Abdelrazik, M.: Dielectric properties of snow
in the 3 to 37 GHz range, IEEE T. Antenn. Propag., 34, 1329–1340, 1986.
Hendricks, S., Stenseng, L., Helm, V., and Haas, C.: Effects of surface
roughness on sea ice freeboard retrieval with an Airborne Ku-Band SAR radar
altimeter, in: International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS
2010), 25–30 July 2010, Proceedings, Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers, Piscataway, NJ, 3126–3129, https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS.2010.5654350, 2010.
Hines, K. M., Bromwich, D. H., Bai, L., Bitz, C. M., Powers, J. G., and
Manning, K. W.: Sea Ice Enhancements to Polar WRF, Mon. Weather Rev., 143,
2363–2385, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-14-00344.1, 2015.
Hong, S.-Y. and Lim, J.-O. J.: The WRF Single-Moment 6-Class Microphysics
Scheme (WSM6), J. Korean Meteor. Soc., 42, 129–151, 2006.
Kaleschke, L., Tian-kunze, X., Maaß, N., Mäkynen, M., and Drusch,
M.: Sea ice thickness retrieval from SMOS brightness temperatures during the
Arctic freeze-up period, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L05501,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL050916, 2012.
Kern, S. and Ozsoy-Çiçek, B.: Satellite Remote Sensing of Snow
Depth on Antarctic Sea Ice: An Inter-Comparison of Two Empirical Approaches,
Remote Sensing, 8, 450, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8060450, 2016.
Kern, S., Ozsoy-Çiçek, B., Willmes, S., Nicolaus, M., Haas,
C., and Ackley, S.: An intercomparison between AMSR-E snow-depth and
satellite C- and Ku-band radar backscatter data for Antarctic sea ice, Ann.
Glaciol., 52, 279–290, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931750, 2011.
King, J., Skourup, H., Hvidegaard, S. M., Rosel, A., Gerland, S., Spreen,
G., Polashenski, C., Helm, V., and Liston, G. E.: Comparison of freeboard
retrieval and ice thickness calculation from ALS, ASIRAS, and CryoSat-2 in
the Norwegian Arctic to field measurements made during the N-ICE2015
expedition, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 123, 1123–1141,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC013233, 2018.
Kurtz, N. T. and Markus, T.: Satellite observations of Antarctic sea ice
thickness and volume, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 117, C08025,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JC008141, 2012.
Kurtz, N. T., Galin, N., and Studinger, M.: An improved CryoSat-2 sea ice
freeboard retrieval algorithm through the use of waveform fitting, The
Cryosphere, 8, 1217–1237, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1217-2014, 2014.
Kwok, R.: Simulated effects of a snow layer on retrieval of CryoSat-2 sea
ice freeboard, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 5014–5020, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL060993,
2014.
Kwok, R. and Cunningham, G. F.: ICESat over Arctic sea ice: Estimation of
snow depth and ice thickness, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 113, C08010,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JC004753, 2008.
Kwok, R., Nghiem, S. V., Yueh, S. H., and Huynh, D. D.: Retrieval of thin
ice thickness from multifrequency polarimetric SAR data, Remote Sens.
Environ., 51, 361–374, https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-4257(94)00017-H, 1995.
Laxon, S., Peacock, N., and Smith, D.: High interannual variability of sea
ice thickness in the Arctic region, Nature, 425, 947–950,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02050, 2003.
Laxon, S. W., Giles, K. A., Ridout, A. L., Wingham, D. J., Willatt, R.,
Cullen, R., Kwok, R., Schweiger, A., Zhang, J., Haas, C., Hendricks, S.,
Krishfield, R., Kurtz, N., Farrell, S., and Davidson, M.: CryoSat-2 estimates
of Arctic sea ice thickness and volume, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 732–737,
https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50193, 2013.
Leonard, K. C. and Maksym, T.: The importance of wind-blown snow
redistribution to snow accumulation on Bellingshausen Sea ice, Ann. Glaciol.,
52, 271–278, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931651, 2011.
Liston, G. E. and Elder, K.: A Distributed Snow-Evolution Modeling System
(SnowModel), J. Hydrometeorol., 7, 1259–1276, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM548.1, 2006a.
Liston, G. E. and Elder, K.: A Meteorological Distribution System for
High-Resolution Terrestrial Modeling (MicroMet), J. Hydrometeorol., 7,
217–234, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM486.1, 2006b.
Liston, G. E. and Hiemstra, C. A.: A Simple Data Assimilation System for
Complex Snow Distributions (SnowAssim), J. Hydrometeorol., 9, 989–1004,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JHM871.1, 2008.
Liston, G. E. and Hiemstra, C. A.:
Representing Grass- and Shrub-Snow-Atmosphere Interactions in Climate System
Models, J. Climate, 24, 2061–2079, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JCLI4028.1, 2011.
Liston, G. E. and Sturm, M.: A snow-transport model for complex terrain,
J. Glaciol., 44, 498–516, https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000002021, 1998.
Liston, G. E. and Winther, J.-G.: Antarctic Surface and Subsurface Snow and
Ice Melt Fluxes, J. Climate, 18, 1469–1481, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI3344.1, 2005.
Liston, G. E., Pielke, R. A., and Greene, E. M.: Improving first-order
snow-related deficiencies in a regional climate model, J. Geophys.
Res.-Atmos., 104, 19559–19567, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999JD900055, 1999.
Liston, G. E., Polashenski, C., Rösel, A., Itkin, P., King, J.,
Merkouriadi, I., and Haapala, J.: A Distributed Snow Evolution Model for Sea
Ice Applications (SnowModel), J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 123, 3786–3810,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC013706, 2018.
Maksym, T. and Markus, T.: Antarctic sea ice thickness and snow-to-ice
conversion from atmospheric reanalysis and passive microwave snow depth, J.
Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 113, C02S12, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JC004085, 2008.
Markus, T. and Cavalieri, D. J.: Snow Depth Distribution Over Sea Ice in
the Southern Ocean from Satellite Passive Microwave Data, Antarctic Sea Ice:
Physical Processes, Interactions and Variability, American Geophysical Union,
edited by: Jeffries, M. O., https://doi.org/10.1029/AR074p0019, 1998.
Markus, T. and Cavalieri, D. J.: Interannual and regional variability of
Southern Ocean snow on sea ice, Ann. Glaciol., 44, 53–57,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756406781811475, 2006.
Markus, T., Neumann, T., Martino, A., Abdalati, W., Brunt, K., Csatho, B.,
Farrell, S., Fricker, H., Gardner, A., Harding, D., Jasinski, M., Kwok, R.,
Magruder, L., Lubin, D., Luthcke, S., Morison, J., Nelson, R.,
Neuenschwander, A., Palm, S., Popescu, S., Shum, C. K., Schutz, B. E. Smith,
B., Yang, Y., and Zwally, J.: The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2
(ICESat-2): Science requirements, concept, and implementation, Remote Sens.
Environ., 190, 260–273, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2016.12.029, 2017.
Massom, R. A., Eicken, H., Hass, C., Jeffries, M. O., Drinkwater, M. R.,
Sturm, M., Worby, A. P., Wu, X., Lytle, V. I., Ushio, S., Morris, K., Reid,
P. A., Warren, S. G., and Allison, I.: Snow on Antarctic sea ice, Rev.
Geophys., 39, 413–445, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000RG000085, 2001.
Maykut, G. and Untersteiner, N.: Some results from a time dependent
thermodynamic model of sea ice, J. Geophys. Res., 76, 1550–1575, 1971.
Mernild, S. H., Liston, G. E., Hasholt, B., and Knudsen, N. T.: Snow
distribution and melt modeling for Mittivakkat Glacier, Ammassalik Island,
southeast Greenland, J. Hydrometeorol., 7, 808–824, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM522.1,
2006.
Mlawer, E. J., Taubman, S. J., Brown, P. D., Iacono, M. J., and Clough, S.
A.: Radiative transfer for inhomogeneous atmospheres: RRTM, a validated
correlated-k model for the longwave, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 102,
16663–16682, 1997.
Nakanishi, M.: Improvement of the Mellor-Yamada turbulence closure model
based on large-eddy simulation data, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 99, 349–378,
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018915827400, 2001.
Nakanishi, M. and Niino, H.: An Improved Mellor–Yamada Level-3 Model with
Condensation Physics: Its Design and Verification, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol.,
112, 1–31, https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BOUN.0000020164.04146.98, 2004.
Nakanishi, M. and Niino, H.: An Improved Mellor–Yamada Level-3 Model: Its
Numerical Stability and Application to a Regional Prediction of Advection
Fog, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 119, 397–407, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-005-9030-8,
2006.
Nicolas, J. P. and Bromwich, D. H.: Precipitation Changes in High Southern
Latitudes from Global Reanalyses: A Cautionary Tale, Surv. Geophys., 32,
475–494, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-011-9114-6, 2011.
Olafsson, H. and Agustsson H.: Gravity wave breaking in easterly flow over
Greenland and associated low level barrier-and reverse tip-jets, Meteorol.
Atmos. Phys., 104, 191–197, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-009-0024-9, 2009.
Pope, A., Wagner, P., Johnson, R., Shutler, J. D., Baeseman, J., and Newman,
L.: Community review of Southern Ocean satellite data needs, Antarctic Sci.,
29, 97–138, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102016000390, 2016.
Price, D., Rack, W., Langhorne, P. J., Haas, C., Leonard, G., and Barnsdale,
K.: The sub-ice platelet layer and its influence on freeboard to thickness
conversion of Antarctic sea ice, The Cryosphere, 8, 1031–1039,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1031-2014, 2014.
Price, D., Beckers,
J., Ricker, R., Kurtz, N., Rack, W., Haas, C., Helm, V., Hendricks, S.,
Leonard, G., and Langhorne, P. J.: Evaluation of CryoSat-2 derived sea-ice
freeboard over fast ice in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 61,
285–300, https://doi.org/10.3189/2015JoG14J157, 2015.
Purdie, C. R., Langhorne, P. J., Leonard, G. H., and Haskell, T. G.: Growth
of first-year landfast Antarctic sea ice determined from winter temperature
measurements, Ann. Glaciol., 44, 170–176, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756406781811853,
2006.
Ricker, R., Hendricks, S., Helm, V., Skourup, H., and Davidson, M.:
Sensitivity of CryoSat-2 Arctic sea-ice freeboard and thickness on
radar-waveform interpretation, The Cryosphere, 8, 1607–1622,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1607-2014, 2014.
Ricker, R., Hendricks, S., Kaleschke, L., Tian-Kunze, X., King, J., and Haas,
C.: A weekly Arctic sea-ice thickness data record from merged CryoSat-2 and
SMOS satellite data, The Cryosphere, 11, 1607–1623,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1607-2017, 2017.
Schwegmann, S., Rinne, E., Ricker, R., Hendricks, S., and Helm, V.: About the
consistency between Envisat and CryoSat-2 radar freeboard retrieval over
Antarctic sea ice, The Cryosphere, 10, 1415–1425,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1415-2016, 2016.
Skamarock, W. C., Klemp, J. B., Dudhia, J., Gill, D. O., Barker, D. M.,
Duda, M. G., Huang, X.-Y., Wang, W., and Powers, J. G.: A Description of the
Advanced Research WRF Version 3, NCAR Technical Note, 2008.
Stroeve, J. C., Markus, T., Maslanik, J. A., Cavalieri, D. J., Gasiewski, A.
J., Heinrichs, J. F., Holmgren, J., Perovich, D. K., and Sturm, M.: Impact of
Surface Roughness on AMSR-E Sea Ice Products, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 44,
3103–3117, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2006.880619, 2006.
Warren, S. G., Rigor, I. G., Untersteiner, N., Radionov, V. F., Bryazgin, N.
N., Aleksandrov, Y. I., and Colony, R.: Snow Depth on Arctic Sea Ice, J.
Climate, 12, 1814–1829, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1999)012<1814:SDOASI>2.0.CO;2,
1999.
Willatt, R. C., Giles, K. A., Laxon, S. W., Stone-Drake, L., and Worby, A.
P.: Field Investigations of Ku-Band Radar Penetration Into Snow Cover on
Antarctic Sea Ice, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 48, 365–372,
https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2009.2028237, 2010.
Wingham, D. J., Francis, C. R., Baker, S., Bouzinac, C., Brockley, D.,
Cullen, R., De Chateau-Thierry, P., Laxon, S. W., Mallow, U., Mavrocordatos,
C., Phalippou, L., Ratier, G., Rey, L., Rostan, F., Viau, P., and Wallis, D.
W.: CryoSat: A mission to determine the fluctuations in Earth's land and
marine ice fields, Adv. Space Res., 37, 841–871,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2005.07.027, 2006.
Worby, A. P., Geiger, C. A., Paget, M. J., Woert, M. L. V., Ackley, S. F.,
and DeLiberty, T. L.: Thickness distribution of Antarctic sea ice, J.
Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 113, C05S92, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JC004254, 2008a.
Worby, A. P., Markus, T., Steer, A. D., Lytle, V. I., and Massom, R. A.:
Evaluation of AMSR-E snow depth product over East Antarctic sea ice using in
situ measurements and aerial photography, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 113,
C05S94, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JC004181, 2008b.
Wu, X., Budd, W. F., Lytle, V. I., and Massom, R. A.: The effect of snow on
Antarctic sea ice simulations in a coupled atmosphere-sea ice model, Clim.
Dynam., 15, 127–143, https://doi.org/10.1007/s003820050272, 1999.
Short summary
Snow depth on Antarctic sea ice is poorly mapped. We examine the usefulness of various snow products to provide snow depth information over Antarctic fast ice in McMurdo Sound, with a focus on a novel approach using a high-resolution numerical snow accumulation model. We find the model performs better than existing snow products from reanalysis products. However, when combining this information with satellite data to retrieve sea ice thickness, large uncertainties in thickness remain.
Snow depth on Antarctic sea ice is poorly mapped. We examine the usefulness of various snow...
