Articles | Volume 13, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1565-2019
© 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-13-1565-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Jun 2019
Research article |
| 04 Jun 2019
| 04 Jun 2019
Estimation of turbulent heat flux over leads using satellite thermal images
Meng Qu
Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Xiaoping Pang
Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
University Corporation for Polar Research, Beijing, China
Xi Zhao
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
University Corporation for Polar Research, Beijing, China
Applied Physics Laboratory, Polar Science Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Jinlun Zhang
Applied Physics Laboratory, Polar Science Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Qing Ji
Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Pei Fan
Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Viewed
Total article views: 5,165 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 25 Jan 2019)
| HTML | XML | Total | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,503 | 1,478 | 184 | 5,165 | 189 | 273 |
- HTML: 3,503
- PDF: 1,478
- XML: 184
- Total: 5,165
- BibTeX: 189
- EndNote: 273
Total article views: 4,409 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 04 Jun 2019)
| HTML | XML | Total | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,162 | 1,081 | 166 | 4,409 | 177 | 258 |
- HTML: 3,162
- PDF: 1,081
- XML: 166
- Total: 4,409
- BibTeX: 177
- EndNote: 258
Total article views: 756 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 25 Jan 2019)
| HTML | XML | Total | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 341 | 397 | 18 | 756 | 12 | 15 |
- HTML: 341
- PDF: 397
- XML: 18
- Total: 756
- BibTeX: 12
- EndNote: 15
Viewed (geographical distribution)
Total article views: 5,165 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 4,600 with geography defined
and 565 with unknown origin.
Total article views: 4,409 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 4,050 with geography defined
and 359 with unknown origin.
Total article views: 756 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 550 with geography defined
and 206 with unknown origin.
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
Cited
30 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Spatio-temporal variability of small-scale leads based on helicopter maps of winter sea ice surface temperatures L. Thielke et al. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2023.00023
- Spring leads in the Beaufort Sea and its interannual trend using Terra/MODIS thermal imagery M. Qu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112342
- Overview of the studies on the interactions between atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean in the Arctic Ocean and its climatic effects: contributions from Chinese scientists R. Lei et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-025-2466-4
- Estimating subpixel turbulent heat flux over leads from MODIS thermal infrared imagery with deep learning Z. Yin et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2835-2021
- Improvement of Ice Surface Temperature Retrieval by Integrating Landsat 8/TIRS and Operation IceBridge Observations L. Song et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15184577
- Arctic Wintertime Sea Ice Lead Detection From Sentinel-1 SAR Images S. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2024.3444045
- High-resolution Arctic sea ice lead variations during wintertime (2016–2023) from SAR observations S. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accre.2025.08.006
- Winter atmospheric boundary layer observations over sea ice in the coastal zone of the Bay of Bothnia (Baltic Sea) M. Wenta et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-33-2021
- An Analysis of Arctic Sea Ice Leads Retrieved from AMSR-E/AMSR2 M. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14040969
- Detection of Arctic Leads Based on FY-3D/MERSI-II T. Chao et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-026-6291-y
- The Arctic Amplification and Its Impact: A Synthesis through Satellite Observations I. Esau et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15051354
- Sea ice surface temperatures from helicopter-borne thermal infrared imaging during the MOSAiC expedition L. Thielke et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01461-9
- Pan-Arctic winter sea-ice lead mapping at 80-m resolution from Sentinel-1 SAR using LeadNet: product generation and morphological insights X. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2026.2728309
- Sea ice surface temperature retrieval from Landsat 8/TIRS: Evaluation of five methods against in situ temperature records and MODIS IST in Arctic region P. Fan et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.111975
- Characterization of north Greenland polynyas with super-resolved passive microwave sea ice concentration X. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/15481603.2023.2300222
- An Entropy-Weighted Network for Polar Sea Ice Open Lead Detection From Sentinel-1 SAR Images Z. Liang et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2022.3169892
- Methodology and potential applications of ice/snow surface temperature over polar regions using SDGSAT-1 satellite C. Shi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2025.114868
- Meteorological, snow and soil data, CO2, water and energy fluxes from a low-Arctic valley of Northern Quebec F. Domine et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1523-2024
- Assessing lead fraction derived from passive microwave images and improving estimates at pixel-wise level X. Zhao et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114517
- Cloud-Tolerant Multiwidth Arctic Sea-Ice Lead Detection Using FY-3D MERSI-II 250-m TIR Data L. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2025.3631915
- Satellite observations reveal the impact of changing sea ice on wintertime surface turbulent fluxes over the Arctic Ocean Z. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accre.2025.04.017
- On the turbulent heat fluxes: A comparison among satellite-based estimates, atmospheric reanalyses, and in-situ observations during the winter climate over Arctic sea ice Z. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accre.2023.04.004
- BAFormer: boundary-aware transformer for sea ice leads extraction from Sentinel-1 SAR images B. He et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2026.2690734
- Area-Averaged Surface Moisture Flux over Fragmented Sea Ice: Floe Size Distribution Effects and the Associated Convection Structure within the Atmospheric Boundary Layer M. Wenta & A. Herman https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10110654
- Spaceborne thermal infrared observations of Arctic sea ice leads at 30 m resolution Y. Qiu et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2829-2023
- Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Sea Ice Leads in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica Y. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15235568
- Overview of the MOSAiC expedition: Physical oceanography B. Rabe et al. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2021.00062
- A lead-width distribution for Antarctic sea ice: a case study for the Weddell Sea with high-resolution Sentinel-2 images M. Muchow et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4527-2021
- Detecting Sea Ice Leads and Floes in the Northwest Passage Using CryoSat-2 A. Swiggs et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2024.3503286
- High-resolution maps of Arctic surface skin temperature and type retrieved from airborne thermal infrared imagery collected during the HALO–(𝒜 𝒞)3 campaign J. Müller et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4695-2025
30 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Spatio-temporal variability of small-scale leads based on helicopter maps of winter sea ice surface temperatures L. Thielke et al. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2023.00023
- Spring leads in the Beaufort Sea and its interannual trend using Terra/MODIS thermal imagery M. Qu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112342
- Overview of the studies on the interactions between atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean in the Arctic Ocean and its climatic effects: contributions from Chinese scientists R. Lei et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-025-2466-4
- Estimating subpixel turbulent heat flux over leads from MODIS thermal infrared imagery with deep learning Z. Yin et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2835-2021
- Improvement of Ice Surface Temperature Retrieval by Integrating Landsat 8/TIRS and Operation IceBridge Observations L. Song et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15184577
- Arctic Wintertime Sea Ice Lead Detection From Sentinel-1 SAR Images S. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2024.3444045
- High-resolution Arctic sea ice lead variations during wintertime (2016–2023) from SAR observations S. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accre.2025.08.006
- Winter atmospheric boundary layer observations over sea ice in the coastal zone of the Bay of Bothnia (Baltic Sea) M. Wenta et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-33-2021
- An Analysis of Arctic Sea Ice Leads Retrieved from AMSR-E/AMSR2 M. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14040969
- Detection of Arctic Leads Based on FY-3D/MERSI-II T. Chao et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-026-6291-y
- The Arctic Amplification and Its Impact: A Synthesis through Satellite Observations I. Esau et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15051354
- Sea ice surface temperatures from helicopter-borne thermal infrared imaging during the MOSAiC expedition L. Thielke et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01461-9
- Pan-Arctic winter sea-ice lead mapping at 80-m resolution from Sentinel-1 SAR using LeadNet: product generation and morphological insights X. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2026.2728309
- Sea ice surface temperature retrieval from Landsat 8/TIRS: Evaluation of five methods against in situ temperature records and MODIS IST in Arctic region P. Fan et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.111975
- Characterization of north Greenland polynyas with super-resolved passive microwave sea ice concentration X. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/15481603.2023.2300222
- An Entropy-Weighted Network for Polar Sea Ice Open Lead Detection From Sentinel-1 SAR Images Z. Liang et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2022.3169892
- Methodology and potential applications of ice/snow surface temperature over polar regions using SDGSAT-1 satellite C. Shi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2025.114868
- Meteorological, snow and soil data, CO2, water and energy fluxes from a low-Arctic valley of Northern Quebec F. Domine et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1523-2024
- Assessing lead fraction derived from passive microwave images and improving estimates at pixel-wise level X. Zhao et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114517
- Cloud-Tolerant Multiwidth Arctic Sea-Ice Lead Detection Using FY-3D MERSI-II 250-m TIR Data L. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2025.3631915
- Satellite observations reveal the impact of changing sea ice on wintertime surface turbulent fluxes over the Arctic Ocean Z. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accre.2025.04.017
- On the turbulent heat fluxes: A comparison among satellite-based estimates, atmospheric reanalyses, and in-situ observations during the winter climate over Arctic sea ice Z. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accre.2023.04.004
- BAFormer: boundary-aware transformer for sea ice leads extraction from Sentinel-1 SAR images B. He et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2026.2690734
- Area-Averaged Surface Moisture Flux over Fragmented Sea Ice: Floe Size Distribution Effects and the Associated Convection Structure within the Atmospheric Boundary Layer M. Wenta & A. Herman https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10110654
- Spaceborne thermal infrared observations of Arctic sea ice leads at 30 m resolution Y. Qiu et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2829-2023
- Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Sea Ice Leads in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica Y. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15235568
- Overview of the MOSAiC expedition: Physical oceanography B. Rabe et al. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2021.00062
- A lead-width distribution for Antarctic sea ice: a case study for the Weddell Sea with high-resolution Sentinel-2 images M. Muchow et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4527-2021
- Detecting Sea Ice Leads and Floes in the Northwest Passage Using CryoSat-2 A. Swiggs et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2024.3503286
- High-resolution maps of Arctic surface skin temperature and type retrieved from airborne thermal infrared imagery collected during the HALO–(𝒜 𝒞)3 campaign J. Müller et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4695-2025
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 03 Nov 2026
Short summary
Can we ignore the contribution of small ice leads when estimating turbulent heat flux? Combining bulk formulae and a fetch-limited model with surface temperature from MODIS and Landsat-8 Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) images, we found small leads account for 25 % of the turbulent heat flux, due to its large total area. Estimated turbulent heat flux is larger from TIRS than that from MODIS with a coarser resolution and larger using a fetch-limited model than that using bulk formulae.
Can we ignore the contribution of small ice leads when estimating turbulent heat flux? Combining...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint