Articles | Volume 7, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1375-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1375-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
10 Sep 2013
Research article |
| 10 Sep 2013
Tidally induced velocity variations of the Beardmore Glacier, Antarctica, and their representation in satellite measurements of ice velocity
O. J. Marsh
Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
D. Floricioiu
German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, 82234 Weßling, Germany
N. R. Golledge
Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
GNS Science, Avalon, Lower Hutt 5011, New Zealand
W. Lawson
Department of Geography, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
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Lukas Müller, Martin Horwath, Mirko Scheinert, Christoph Mayer, Benjamin Ebermann, Dana Floricioiu, Lukas Krieger, Ralf Rosenau, and Saurabh Vijay
The Cryosphere, 15, 3355–3375, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3355-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3355-2021, 2021
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Harald Moltke Bræ, a marine-terminating glacier in north-western Greenland, undergoes remarkable surges of episodic character. Our data show that a recent surge from 2013 to 2019 was initiated at the glacier front and exhibits a pronounced seasonality with flow velocities varying by 1 order of magnitude, which has not been observed at Harald Moltke Bræ in this way before. These findings are crucial for understanding surge mechanisms at Harald Moltke Bræ and other marine-terminating glaciers.
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
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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
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Kate E. Ashley, Robert McKay, Johan Etourneau, Francisco J. Jimenez-Espejo, Alan Condron, Anna Albot, Xavier Crosta, Christina Riesselman, Osamu Seki, Guillaume Massé, Nicholas R. Golledge, Edward Gasson, Daniel P. Lowry, Nicholas E. Barrand, Katelyn Johnson, Nancy Bertler, Carlota Escutia, Robert Dunbar, and James A. Bendle
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E. Johnson, D. Floricioiu, E. Schwalbe, R. Koschitzki, H.-G. Maas, C. Cardenas, and G. Casassa
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L. Krieger, E. Johnson, and D. Floricioiu
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Heiko Goelzer, Sophie Nowicki, Anthony Payne, Eric Larour, Helene Seroussi, William H. Lipscomb, Jonathan Gregory, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Andrew Shepherd, Erika Simon, Cécile Agosta, Patrick Alexander, Andy Aschwanden, Alice Barthel, Reinhard Calov, Christopher Chambers, Youngmin Choi, Joshua Cuzzone, Christophe Dumas, Tamsin Edwards, Denis Felikson, Xavier Fettweis, Nicholas R. Golledge, Ralf Greve, Angelika Humbert, Philippe Huybrechts, Sebastien Le clec'h, Victoria Lee, Gunter Leguy, Chris Little, Daniel P. Lowry, Mathieu Morlighem, Isabel Nias, Aurelien Quiquet, Martin Rückamp, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Donald A. Slater, Robin S. Smith, Fiamma Straneo, Lev Tarasov, Roderik van de Wal, and Michiel van den Broeke
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The Cryosphere, 14, 3033–3070, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3033-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3033-2020, 2020
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The Antarctic ice sheet has been losing mass over at least the past 3 decades in response to changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions. This study presents an ensemble of model simulations of the Antarctic evolution over the 2015–2100 period based on various ice sheet models, climate forcings and emission scenarios. Results suggest that the West Antarctic ice sheet will continue losing a large amount of ice, while the East Antarctic ice sheet could experience increased snow accumulation.
Alanna V. Alevropoulos-Borrill, Isabel J. Nias, Antony J. Payne, Nicholas R. Golledge, and Rory J. Bingham
The Cryosphere, 14, 1245–1258, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1245-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1245-2020, 2020
Anders Levermann, Ricarda Winkelmann, Torsten Albrecht, Heiko Goelzer, Nicholas R. Golledge, Ralf Greve, Philippe Huybrechts, Jim Jordan, Gunter Leguy, Daniel Martin, Mathieu Morlighem, Frank Pattyn, David Pollard, Aurelien Quiquet, Christian Rodehacke, Helene Seroussi, Johannes Sutter, Tong Zhang, Jonas Van Breedam, Reinhard Calov, Robert DeConto, Christophe Dumas, Julius Garbe, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, Matthew J. Hoffman, Angelika Humbert, Thomas Kleiner, William H. Lipscomb, Malte Meinshausen, Esmond Ng, Sophie M. J. Nowicki, Mauro Perego, Stephen F. Price, Fuyuki Saito, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Sainan Sun, and Roderik S. W. van de Wal
Earth Syst. Dynam., 11, 35–76, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-11-35-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-11-35-2020, 2020
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We provide an estimate of the future sea level contribution of Antarctica from basal ice shelf melting up to the year 2100. The full uncertainty range in the warming-related forcing of basal melt is estimated and applied to 16 state-of-the-art ice sheet models using a linear response theory approach. The sea level contribution we obtain is very likely below 61 cm under unmitigated climate change until 2100 (RCP8.5) and very likely below 40 cm if the Paris Climate Agreement is kept.
Ian Joughin, David E. Shean, Benjamin E. Smith, and Dana Floricioiu
The Cryosphere, 14, 211–227, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-211-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-211-2020, 2020
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Jakobshavn Isbræ, considered to be Greenland's fastest glacier, has varied its speed and thinned dramatically since the 1990s. Here we examine the glacier's behaviour over the last decade to better understand this behaviour. We find that when the floating ice (mélange) in front of the glacier freezes in place during the winter, it can control the glacier's speed and thinning rate. A recently colder ocean has strengthened this mélange, allowing the glacier to recoup some of its previous losses.
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
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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.
Wael Abdel Jaber, Helmut Rott, Dana Floricioiu, Jan Wuite, and Nuno Miranda
The Cryosphere, 13, 2511–2535, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2511-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2511-2019, 2019
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We use topographic maps from two radar remote-sensing missions to map surface elevation changes of the northern and southern Patagonian ice fields (NPI and SPI) for two epochs (2000–2012 and 2012–2016). We find a heterogeneous pattern of thinning within the ice fields and a varying temporal trend, which may be explained by complex interdependence between surface mass balance and effects of flow dynamics. The contribution to sea level rise amounts to 0.05 mm a−1 for both ice fields for 2000–2016.
James D. Kirkham, Kelly A. Hogan, Robert D. Larter, Neil S. Arnold, Frank O. Nitsche, Nicholas R. Golledge, and Julian A. Dowdeswell
The Cryosphere, 13, 1959–1981, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1959-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1959-2019, 2019
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A series of huge (500 m wide, 50 m deep) channels were eroded by water flowing beneath Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers in the past. The channels are similar to canyon systems produced by floods of meltwater released beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet millions of years ago. The spatial extent of the channels formed beneath Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers demonstrates significant quantities of water, possibly discharged from trapped subglacial lakes, flowed beneath these glaciers in the past.
Hélène Seroussi, Sophie Nowicki, Erika Simon, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Torsten Albrecht, Julien Brondex, Stephen Cornford, Christophe Dumas, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, Heiko Goelzer, Nicholas R. Golledge, Jonathan M. Gregory, Ralf Greve, Matthew J. Hoffman, Angelika Humbert, Philippe Huybrechts, Thomas Kleiner, Eric Larour, Gunter Leguy, William H. Lipscomb, Daniel Lowry, Matthias Mengel, Mathieu Morlighem, Frank Pattyn, Anthony J. Payne, David Pollard, Stephen F. Price, Aurélien Quiquet, Thomas J. Reerink, Ronja Reese, Christian B. Rodehacke, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Andrew Shepherd, Sainan Sun, Johannes Sutter, Jonas Van Breedam, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, Ricarda Winkelmann, and Tong Zhang
The Cryosphere, 13, 1441–1471, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1441-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1441-2019, 2019
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We compare a wide range of Antarctic ice sheet simulations with varying initialization techniques and model parameters to understand the role they play on the projected evolution of this ice sheet under simple scenarios. Results are improved compared to previous assessments and show that continued improvements in the representation of the floating ice around Antarctica are critical to reduce the uncertainty in the future ice sheet contribution to sea level rise.
Daniel Price, Iman Soltanzadeh, Wolfgang Rack, and Ethan Dale
The Cryosphere, 13, 1409–1422, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1409-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1409-2019, 2019
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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.
Eleanor Rainsley, Chris S. M. Turney, Nicholas R. Golledge, Janet M. Wilmshurst, Matt S. McGlone, Alan G. Hogg, Bo Li, Zoë A. Thomas, Richard Roberts, Richard T. Jones, Jonathan G. Palmer, Verity Flett, Gregory de Wet, David K. Hutchinson, Mathew J. Lipson, Pavla Fenwick, Ben R. Hines, Umberto Binetti, and Christopher J. Fogwill
Clim. Past, 15, 423–448, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-423-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-423-2019, 2019
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The New Zealand subantarctic islands, in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, provide valuable records of past environmental change. We find that the Auckland Islands hosted a small ice cap around 384 000 years ago, but that there was little glaciation during the Last Glacial Maximum, around 21 000 years ago, in contrast to mainland New Zealand. This shows that the climate here is susceptible to changes in regional factors such as sea-ice expanse and the position of ocean fronts.
Daniel P. Lowry, Nicholas R. Golledge, Laurie Menviel, and Nancy A. N. Bertler
Clim. Past, 15, 189–215, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-189-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-189-2019, 2019
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Using two climate models, we seek to better understand changes in Antarctic climate and Southern Ocean conditions during the last deglaciation. We highlight the importance of sea ice and ice topography changes for Antarctic surface temperatures and snow accumulation as well as the sensitivity of Southern Ocean temperatures to meltwater fluxes. The results demonstrate that climate model simulations of the deglaciation could be greatly improved by considering ice–ocean interactions and feedbacks.
Heiko Goelzer, Sophie Nowicki, Tamsin Edwards, Matthew Beckley, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Andy Aschwanden, Reinhard Calov, Olivier Gagliardini, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, Nicholas R. Golledge, Jonathan Gregory, Ralf Greve, Angelika Humbert, Philippe Huybrechts, Joseph H. Kennedy, Eric Larour, William H. Lipscomb, Sébastien Le clec'h, Victoria Lee, Mathieu Morlighem, Frank Pattyn, Antony J. Payne, Christian Rodehacke, Martin Rückamp, Fuyuki Saito, Nicole Schlegel, Helene Seroussi, Andrew Shepherd, Sainan Sun, Roderik van de Wal, and Florian A. Ziemen
The Cryosphere, 12, 1433–1460, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1433-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1433-2018, 2018
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We have compared a wide spectrum of different initialisation techniques used in the ice sheet modelling community to define the modelled present-day Greenland ice sheet state as a starting point for physically based future-sea-level-change projections. Compared to earlier community-wide comparisons, we find better agreement across different models, which implies overall improvement of our understanding of what is needed to produce such initial states.
Nancy A. N. Bertler, Howard Conway, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Daniel B. Emanuelsson, Mai Winstrup, Paul T. Vallelonga, James E. Lee, Ed J. Brook, Jeffrey P. Severinghaus, Taylor J. Fudge, Elizabeth D. Keller, W. Troy Baisden, Richard C. A. Hindmarsh, Peter D. Neff, Thomas Blunier, Ross Edwards, Paul A. Mayewski, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Christo Buizert, Silvia Canessa, Ruzica Dadic, Helle A. Kjær, Andrei Kurbatov, Dongqi Zhang, Edwin D. Waddington, Giovanni Baccolo, Thomas Beers, Hannah J. Brightley, Lionel Carter, David Clemens-Sewall, Viorela G. Ciobanu, Barbara Delmonte, Lukas Eling, Aja Ellis, Shruthi Ganesh, Nicholas R. Golledge, Skylar Haines, Michael Handley, Robert L. Hawley, Chad M. Hogan, Katelyn M. Johnson, Elena Korotkikh, Daniel P. Lowry, Darcy Mandeno, Robert M. McKay, James A. Menking, Timothy R. Naish, Caroline Noerling, Agathe Ollive, Anaïs Orsi, Bernadette C. Proemse, Alexander R. Pyne, Rebecca L. Pyne, James Renwick, Reed P. Scherer, Stefanie Semper, Marius Simonsen, Sharon B. Sneed, Eric J. Steig, Andrea Tuohy, Abhijith Ulayottil Venugopal, Fernando Valero-Delgado, Janani Venkatesh, Feitang Wang, Shimeng Wang, Dominic A. Winski, V. Holly L. Winton, Arran Whiteford, Cunde Xiao, Jiao Yang, and Xin Zhang
Clim. Past, 14, 193–214, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-193-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-193-2018, 2018
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Temperature and snow accumulation records from the annually dated Roosevelt Island Climate Evolution (RICE) ice core show that for the past 2 700 years, the eastern Ross Sea warmed, while the western Ross Sea showed no trend and West Antarctica cooled. From the 17th century onwards, this dipole relationship changed. Now all three regions show concurrent warming, with snow accumulation declining in West Antarctica and the eastern Ross Sea.
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
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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.
J. Zhao and D. Floricioiu
Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLII-2-W7, 1593–1600, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLII-2-W7-1593-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLII-2-W7-1593-2017, 2017
Nicholas R. Golledge, Zoë A. Thomas, Richard H. Levy, Edward G. W. Gasson, Timothy R. Naish, Robert M. McKay, Douglas E. Kowalewski, and Christopher J. Fogwill
Clim. Past, 13, 959–975, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-959-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-959-2017, 2017
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We investigated how the Antarctic climate and ice sheets evolved during a period of warmer-than-present temperatures 4 million years ago, during a time when the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere was very similar to today's level. Using computer models to first simulate the climate, and then how the ice sheets responded, we found that Antarctica most likely lost around 8.5 m sea-level equivalent ice volume as both East and West Antarctic ice sheets retreated.
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
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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
Related subject area
Remote Sensing
Inland migration of near-surface crevasses in the Amundsen Sea Sector, West Antarctica
Do we still need reflectance? From radiance to snow properties in mountainous terrain: a case study with the EMIT imaging spectrometer
Greenland Ice Sheet surface roughness from Ku- and Ka-band radar altimetry surface echo strengths
Novel methods to study sea ice deformation, linear kinematic features and coherent dynamic clusters from imaging remote sensing data
InSAR-derived seasonal subsidence reflects spatial soil moisture patterns in Arctic lowland permafrost regions
Benchmarking passive-microwave-satellite-derived freeze–thaw datasets
Snow depth estimation on leadless landfast ice using Cryo2Ice satellite observations
Five decades of Abramov glacier dynamics reconstructed with multi-sensor optical remote sensing
Updated Arctic melt pond fraction dataset and trends 2002–2023 using ENVISAT and Sentinel-3 remote sensing data
Machine learning of Antarctic firn density by combining radiometer and scatterometer remote-sensing data
Temporal stability of a new 40-year daily AVHRR land surface temperature dataset for the pan-Arctic region
Impact assessment of snow thickness, sea ice density and water density in CryoSat-2-derived sea ice thickness
The Pléiades Glacier Observatory: high-resolution digital elevation models and ortho-imagery to monitor glacier change
Multitemporal UAV lidar detects seasonal heave and subsidence on palsas
Evaluating snow depth retrievals from Sentinel-1 volume scattering over NASA SnowEx sites
Pan-Arctic sea ice concentration from SAR and passive microwave
Land surface temperature trends derived from Landsat imagery in the Swiss Alps
A framework for automated supraglacial lake detection and depth retrieval in ICESat-2 photon data across the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets
Evaluation of the Snow CCI Snow Covered Area Product within a Mountain Snow Water Equivalent Reanalysis
Evaluating sensitivity of optical snow grain size retrievals to radiative transfer models, shape parameters, and inversion techniques
Improved snow property retrievals by solving for topography in the inversion of at-sensor radiance measurements
Change in grounding line location on the Antarctic Peninsula measured using a tidal motion offset correlation method
Land cover succession for recently drained lakes in permafrost on the Yamal Peninsula, Western Siberia
Assessing sea ice microwave emissivity up to submillimeter waves from airborne and satellite observations
Simulation of Arctic snow microwave emission in surface-sensitive atmosphere channels
AWI-ICENet1: a convolutional neural network retracker for ice altimetry
Monthly velocity and seasonal variations of the Mont Blanc glaciers derived from Sentinel-2 between 2016 and 2024
Retrieval of snow and soil properties for forward radiative transfer modeling of airborne Ku-band SAR to estimate snow water equivalent: the Trail Valley Creek 2018/19 snow experiment
Evaluating L-band InSAR snow water equivalent retrievals with repeat ground-penetrating radar and terrestrial lidar surveys in northern Colorado
Toward long-term monitoring of regional permafrost thaw with satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar
Improved records of glacier flow instabilities using customized NASA autoRIFT (CautoRIFT) applied to PlanetScope imagery
Reanalyzing the spatial representativeness of snow depth at automated monitoring stations using airborne lidar data
The AutoICE Challenge
Brief communication: Not as dirty as they look, flawed airborne and satellite snow spectra
Observing glacier elevation changes from spaceborne optical and radar sensors – an inter-comparison experiment using ASTER and TanDEM-X data
Multiple modes of shoreline change along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea observed using ICESat-2 altimetry and satellite imagery
Tower-based C-band radar measurements of an alpine snowpack
A study of sea ice topography in the Weddell and Ross seas using dual-polarimetric TanDEM-X imagery
Grounded Ridge Detection and Characterization along the Alaskan Arctic Coastline using ICESat-2 Surface Height Retrievals
Estimating differential penetration of green (532 nm) laser light over sea ice with NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper: observations and models
Mapping surface hoar from near-infrared texture in a laboratory
Sentinel-1 detection of ice slabs on the Greenland Ice Sheet
Estimating the uncertainty of sea-ice area and sea-ice extent from satellite retrievals
Thermal infrared shadow-hiding in GOES-R ABI imagery: snow and forest temperature observations from the SnowEx 2020 Grand Mesa field campaign
Sea ice transport and replenishment across and within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, 2016–2022
SAR deep learning sea ice retrieval trained with airborne laser scanner measurements from the MOSAiC expedition
Lake ice break-up in Greenland: timing and spatiotemporal variability
Mapping Seasonal Snow Melting in Karakoram Using SAR and Topographic Data
Temperature-dominated spatiotemporal variability in snow phenology on the Tibetan Plateau from 2002 to 2022
Importance of ice elasticity in simulating tide-induced grounding line variations along prograde bed slopes
Andrew O. Hoffman, Knut Christianson, Ching-Yao Lai, Ian Joughin, Nicholas Holschuh, Elizabeth Case, Jonathan Kingslake, and the GHOST science team
The Cryosphere, 19, 1353–1372, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1353-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1353-2025, 2025
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We use satellite and ice-penetrating radar technology to segment crevasses in the Amundsen Sea Embayment. Inspection of satellite time series reveals inland expansion of crevasses where surface stresses have increased. We develop a simple model for the strength of densifying snow and show that these crevasses are likely restricted to the near surface. This result bridges discrepancies between satellite and lab experiments and reveals the importance of porosity on surface crevasse formation.
Niklas Bohn, Edward H. Bair, Philip G. Brodrick, Nimrod Carmon, Robert O. Green, Thomas H. Painter, and David R. Thompson
The Cryosphere, 19, 1279–1302, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1279-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1279-2025, 2025
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A new type of Earth-observing satellite is measuring reflected sunlight in all its colors. These measurements can be used to characterize snow properties, which give us important information about climate change. In our work, we emphasize the difficulties of obtaining these properties from rough mountainous regions and present a solution to the problem. Our research was inspired by the growing number of new satellite technologies and the increasing challenges associated with climate change.
Kirk M. Scanlan, Anja Rutishauser, and Sebastian B. Simonsen
The Cryosphere, 19, 1221–1239, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1221-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1221-2025, 2025
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An ice sheet's surface modulates its response to climate change, and it is therefore critical to monitor how it evolves through time. Here, we investigate novel measurements of Greenland surface roughness based on the strength of reflected local airborne and pan-Greenland satellite radar signals. These measurements respond to roughness at scales typically larger than those considered in mass balance modelling while highlighting the scale dependency of surface roughness that is often overlooked.
Polona Itkin
The Cryosphere, 19, 1135–1151, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1135-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1135-2025, 2025
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Radar satellite images of sea ice were analyzed to understand how sea ice moves and deforms. These data are noisy, especially when looking at small details. A method was developed to filter out the noise. The filtered data were used to monitor how ice plates stretch and compress over time, revealing slow healing of ice fractures. Cohesive clusters of ice plates that move together were studied too. These methods provide climate-relevant insights into the dynamic nature of winter sea ice cover.
Barbara Widhalm, Annett Bartsch, Tazio Strozzi, Nina Jones, Artem Khomutov, Elena Babkina, Marina Leibman, Rustam Khairullin, Mathias Göckede, Helena Bergstedt, Clemens von Baeckmann, and Xaver Muri
The Cryosphere, 19, 1103–1133, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1103-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1103-2025, 2025
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Mapping soil moisture in Arctic permafrost regions is crucial for various activities, but it is challenging with typical satellite methods due to the landscape's diversity. Seasonal freezing and thawing cause the ground to periodically rise and subside. Our research demonstrates that this seasonal ground settlement, measured with Sentinel-1 satellite data, is larger in areas with wetter soils. This method helps to monitor permafrost degradation.
Annett Bartsch, Xaver Muri, Markus Hetzenecker, Kimmo Rautiainen, Helena Bergstedt, Jan Wuite, Thomas Nagler, and Dmitry Nicolsky
The Cryosphere, 19, 459–483, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-459-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-459-2025, 2025
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We developed a robust freeze–thaw detection approach, applying a constant threshold to Copernicus Sentinel-1 data that is suitable for tundra regions. All global, coarser-resolution products, tested with the resulting benchmarking dataset, are of value for freeze–thaw retrieval, although differences were found depending on the seasons, particularly during the spring and autumn transition.
Monojit Saha, Julienne Stroeve, Dustin Isleifson, John Yackel, Vishnu Nandan, Jack Christopher Landy, and Hoi Ming Lam
The Cryosphere, 19, 325–346, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-325-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-325-2025, 2025
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Snow on sea ice is vital for near-shore sea ice geophysical and biological processes. Past studies have measured snow depths using the satellite altimeters Cryosat-2 and ICESat-2 (Cryo2Ice), but estimating sea surface height from leadless landfast sea ice remains challenging. Snow depths from Cryo2Ice are compared to in situ data after adjusting for tides. Realistic snow depths are retrieved, but differences in roughness, satellite footprints, and snow geophysical properties are identified.
Enrico Mattea, Etienne Berthier, Amaury Dehecq, Tobias Bolch, Atanu Bhattacharya, Sajid Ghuffar, Martina Barandun, and Martin Hoelzle
The Cryosphere, 19, 219–247, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-219-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-219-2025, 2025
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We reconstruct the evolution of terminus position, ice thickness, and surface flow velocity of the reference Abramov glacier (Kyrgyzstan) from 1968 to present. We describe a front pulsation in the early 2000s and the multi-annual present-day buildup of a new pulsation. Such dynamic instabilities can challenge the representativity of Abramov as a reference glacier. For our work we used satellite‑based optical remote sensing from multiple platforms, including recently declassified archives.
Larysa Istomina, Hannah Niehaus, and Gunnar Spreen
The Cryosphere, 19, 83–105, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-83-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-83-2025, 2025
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Melt water puddles, or melt ponds on top of the Arctic sea ice, are a good measure of the Arctic climate state. In the context of recent climate warming, the Arctic has warmed about 4 times faster than the rest of the world, and a long-term dataset of the melt pond fraction is needed to be able to model the future development of the Arctic climate. We present such a dataset, produce 2002–2023 trends and highlight a potential melt regime shift with drastic regional trends of + 20 % per decade.
Weiran Li, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 19, 37–61, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-37-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-37-2025, 2025
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This study used a machine learning approach to estimate the densities over the Antarctic Ice Sheet, particularly in the areas where the snow is usually dry. The motivation is to establish a link between satellite parameters to snow densities, as measurements are difficult for people to take on site. It provides valuable insights into the complexities of the relationship between satellite parameters and firn density and provides potential for further studies.
Sonia Dupuis, Frank-Michael Göttsche, and Stefan Wunderle
The Cryosphere, 18, 6027–6059, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-6027-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-6027-2024, 2024
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The Arctic has experienced pronounced warming the last few decades. This warming threatens ecosystems, vegetation dynamics, snow cover duration, and permafrost. Traditional monitoring methods like stations and climate models lack the detail needed. Land surface temperature (LST) data derived from satellites offer high spatial and temporal coverage, perfect for studying changes in the Arctic. In particular, LST information from AVHRR provides a 40-year record, valuable for analysing trends.
Imke Sievers, Henriette Skourup, and Till A. S. Rasmussen
The Cryosphere, 18, 5985–6004, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5985-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5985-2024, 2024
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To derive sea ice thickness (SIT) from satellite freeboard (FB) observations, assumptions about snow thickness, snow density, sea ice density and water density are needed. These parameters are impossible to observe alongside FB, so many existing products use empirical values. In this study, modeled values are used instead. The modeled values and otherwise commonly used empirical values are evaluated against in situ observations. In a further analysis, the influence on SIT is quantified.
Etienne Berthier, Jérôme Lebreton, Delphine Fontannaz, Steven Hosford, Joaquín Muñoz-Cobo Belart, Fanny Brun, Liss M. Andreassen, Brian Menounos, and Charlotte Blondel
The Cryosphere, 18, 5551–5571, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5551-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5551-2024, 2024
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Repeat elevation measurements are crucial for monitoring glacier health and to understand how glaciers affect river flows and sea level. Until recently, high-resolution elevation data were mostly available for polar regions and High Mountain Asia. Our project, the Pléiades Glacier Observatory, now provides high-resolution topographies of 140 glacier sites worldwide. This is a novel and open dataset to monitor the impact of climate change on glaciers at high resolution and accuracy.
Cas Renette, Mats Olvmo, Sofia Thorsson, Björn Holmer, and Heather Reese
The Cryosphere, 18, 5465–5480, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5465-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5465-2024, 2024
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We used a drone to monitor seasonal changes in the height of subarctic permafrost mounds (palsas). With five drone flights in 1 year, we found a seasonal fluctuation of ca. 15 cm as a result of freeze–thaw cycles. On one mound, a large area sank down between each flight as a result of permafrost thaw. The approach of using repeated high-resolution scans from such a drone is unique for such environments and highlights its effectiveness in capturing the subtle dynamics of permafrost landscapes.
Zachary Hoppinen, Ross T. Palomaki, George Brencher, Devon Dunmire, Eric Gagliano, Adrian Marziliano, Jack Tarricone, and Hans-Peter Marshall
The Cryosphere, 18, 5407–5430, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5407-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5407-2024, 2024
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This study uses radar imagery from the Sentinel-1 satellite to derive snow depth from increases in the returning energy. These retrieved depths are then compared to nine lidar-derived snow depths across the western United State to assess the ability of this technique to be used to monitor global snow distributions. We also qualitatively compare the changes in underlying Sentinel-1 amplitudes against both the total lidar snow depths and nine automated snow monitoring stations.
Tore Wulf, Jørgen Buus-Hinkler, Suman Singha, Hoyeon Shi, and Matilde Brandt Kreiner
The Cryosphere, 18, 5277–5300, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5277-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5277-2024, 2024
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Here, we present ASIP: a new and comprehensive deep-learning-based methodology to retrieve high-resolution sea ice concentration with accompanying well-calibrated uncertainties from satellite-based active and passive microwave observations at a pan-Arctic scale for all seasons. In a comparative study against pan-Arctic ice charts and well-established passive-microwave-based sea ice products, we show that ASIP generalizes well to the pan-Arctic region.
Deniz Tobias Gök, Dirk Scherler, and Hendrik Wulf
The Cryosphere, 18, 5259–5276, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5259-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5259-2024, 2024
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We derived Landsat Collection 2 land surface temperature (LST) trends in the Swiss Alps using a harmonic model with a linear trend. Validation with LST data from 119 high-altitude weather stations yielded robust results, but Landsat LST trends are biased due to unstable acquisition times. The bias varies with topographic slope and aspect. We discuss its origin and propose a simple correction method in relation to modeled changes in shortwave radiation.
Philipp Sebastian Arndt and Helen Amanda Fricker
The Cryosphere, 18, 5173–5206, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5173-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5173-2024, 2024
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We develop a method for ice-sheet-scale retrieval of supraglacial meltwater depths using ICESat-2 photon data. We report results for two drainage basins in Greenland and Antarctica during two contrasting melt seasons, where our method reveals a total of 1249 lake segments up to 25 m deep. The large volume and wide variety of accurate depth data that our method provides enable the development of data-driven models of meltwater volumes in satellite imagery.
Haorui Sun, Yiwen Fang, Steven Margulis, Colleen Mortimer, Lawrence Mudryk, and Chris Derksen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3213, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3213, 2024
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The European Space Agency's Snow Climate Change Initiative (Snow CCI) developed a high-quality snow cover extent and snow water equivalent (SWE) Climate Data Record. However, gaps exist in complex terrain due to challenges in using passive microwave sensing and in-situ measurements. This study presents a methodology to fill the mountain SWE gap using Snow CCI Snow Cover Fraction within a Bayesian SWE reanalysis framework, with potential applications in untested regions and with other sensors.
James W. Dillon, Christopher P. Donahue, Evan N. Schehrer, and Kevin D. Hammonds
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3141, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3141, 2024
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The optical grain size of snow controls albedo, playing a key role in Earth's energy balance. This parameter varies substantially in time and space, and thus accurate estimates are vital. Reflectance measurements can be used to map grain size, although results differ considerably depending on the algorithm and model used during retrieval. We perform a novel laboratory comparison to determine the optimal model, shape parameters, and retrieval algorithm for accurately estimating grain size.
Brenton A. Wilder, Joachim Meyer, Josh Enterkine, and Nancy F. Glenn
The Cryosphere, 18, 5015–5029, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5015-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5015-2024, 2024
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Remotely sensed properties of snow are dependent on accurate terrain information, which for a lot of the cryosphere and seasonal snow zones is often insufficient in accuracy. However, as we show in this paper, we can bypass this issue by optimally solving for the terrain by utilizing the raw radiance data returned to the sensor. This method performed well when compared to validation datasets and has the potential to be used across a variety of different snow climates.
Benjamin J. Wallis, Anna E. Hogg, Yikai Zhu, and Andrew Hooper
The Cryosphere, 18, 4723–4742, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4723-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4723-2024, 2024
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The grounding line, where ice begins to float, is an essential variable to understand ice dynamics, but in some locations it can be challenging to measure with established techniques. Using satellite data and a new method, Wallis et al. measure the grounding line position of glaciers and ice shelves in the Antarctic Peninsula and find retreats of up to 16.3 km have occurred since the last time measurements were made in the 1990s.
Clemens von Baeckmann, Annett Bartsch, Helena Bergstedt, Aleksandra Efimova, Barbara Widhalm, Dorothee Ehrich, Timo Kumpula, Alexander Sokolov, and Svetlana Abdulmanova
The Cryosphere, 18, 4703–4722, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4703-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4703-2024, 2024
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Lakes are common features in Arctic permafrost areas. Land cover change following their drainage needs to be monitored since it has implications for ecology and the carbon cycle. Satellite data are key in this context. We compared a common vegetation index approach with a novel land-cover-monitoring scheme. Land cover information provides specific information on wetland features. We also showed that the bioclimatic gradients play a significant role after drainage within the first 10 years.
Nils Risse, Mario Mech, Catherine Prigent, Gunnar Spreen, and Susanne Crewell
The Cryosphere, 18, 4137–4163, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4137-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4137-2024, 2024
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Passive microwave observations from satellites are crucial for monitoring Arctic sea ice and atmosphere. To do this effectively, it is important to understand how sea ice emits microwaves. Through unique Arctic sea ice observations, we improved our understanding, identified four distinct emission types, and expanded current knowledge to include higher frequencies. These findings will enhance our ability to monitor the Arctic climate and provide valuable information for new satellite missions.
Melody Sandells, Nick Rutter, Kirsty Wivell, Richard Essery, Stuart Fox, Chawn Harlow, Ghislain Picard, Alexandre Roy, Alain Royer, and Peter Toose
The Cryosphere, 18, 3971–3990, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3971-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3971-2024, 2024
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Satellite microwave observations are used for weather forecasting. In Arctic regions this is complicated by natural emission from snow. By simulating airborne observations from in situ measurements of snow, this study shows how snow properties affect the signal within the atmosphere. Fresh snowfall between flights changed airborne measurements. Good knowledge of snow layering and structure can be used to account for the effects of snow and could unlock these data to improve forecasts.
Veit Helm, Alireza Dehghanpour, Ronny Hänsch, Erik Loebel, Martin Horwath, and Angelika Humbert
The Cryosphere, 18, 3933–3970, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3933-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3933-2024, 2024
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We present a new approach (AWI-ICENet1), based on a deep convolutional neural network, for analysing satellite radar altimeter measurements to accurately determine the surface height of ice sheets. Surface height estimates obtained with AWI-ICENet1 (along with related products, such as ice sheet height change and volume change) show improved and unbiased results compared to other products. This is important for the long-term monitoring of ice sheet mass loss and its impact on sea level rise.
Fabrizio Troilo, Niccolò Dematteis, Francesco Zucca, Martin Funk, and Daniele Giordan
The Cryosphere, 18, 3891–3909, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3891-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3891-2024, 2024
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The study of glacier sliding along slopes is relevant in many aspects of glaciology. We processed Sentinel-2 satellite optical images of Mont Blanc, obtaining surface velocities of 30 glaciers between 2016 and 2024. The study revealed different behaviours and velocity variations that have relationships with glacier morphology. A velocity anomaly was observed in some glaciers of the southern side in 2020–2022, but its origin needs to be investigated further.
Benoit Montpetit, Joshua King, Julien Meloche, Chris Derksen, Paul Siqueira, J. Max Adam, Peter Toose, Mike Brady, Anna Wendleder, Vincent Vionnet, and Nicolas R. Leroux
The Cryosphere, 18, 3857–3874, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3857-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3857-2024, 2024
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This paper validates the use of free open-source models to link distributed snow measurements to radar measurements in the Canadian Arctic. Using multiple radar sensors, we can decouple the soil from the snow contribution. We then retrieve the "microwave snow grain size" to characterize the interaction between the snow mass and the radar signal. This work supports future satellite mission development to retrieve snow mass information such as the future Canadian Terrestrial Snow Mass Mission.
Randall Bonnell, Daniel McGrath, Jack Tarricone, Hans-Peter Marshall, Ella Bump, Caroline Duncan, Stephanie Kampf, Yunling Lou, Alex Olsen-Mikitowicz, Megan Sears, Keith Williams, Lucas Zeller, and Yang Zheng
The Cryosphere, 18, 3765–3785, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3765-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3765-2024, 2024
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Snow provides water for billions of people, but the amount of snow is difficult to detect remotely. During the 2020 and 2021 winters, a radar was flown over mountains in Colorado, USA, to measure the amount of snow on the ground, while our team collected ground observations to test the radar technique’s capabilities. The technique yielded accurate measurements of the snowpack that had good correlation with ground measurements, making it a promising application for the upcoming NISAR satellite.
Taha Sadeghi Chorsi, Franz J. Meyer, and Timothy H. Dixon
The Cryosphere, 18, 3723–3740, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3723-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3723-2024, 2024
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The active layer thaws and freezes seasonally. The annual freeze–thaw cycle of the active layer causes significant surface height changes due to the volume difference between ice and liquid water. We estimate the subsidence rate and active-layer thickness (ALT) for part of northern Alaska for summer 2017 to 2022 using interferometric synthetic aperture radar and lidar. ALT estimates range from ~20 cm to larger than 150 cm in area. Subsidence rate varies between close points (2–18 mm per month).
Jukes Liu, Madeline Gendreau, Ellyn Mary Enderlin, and Rainey Aberle
The Cryosphere, 18, 3571–3590, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3571-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3571-2024, 2024
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There are sometimes gaps in global glacier velocity records produced using satellite image feature-tracking algorithms during times of rapid glacier acceleration, which hinders the study of glacier flow processes. We present an open-source pipeline for customizing the feature-tracking parameters and for including images from an additional source. We applied it to five glaciers and found that it produced accurate velocity data that supplemented their velocity records during rapid acceleration.
Jordan N. Herbert, Mark S. Raleigh, and Eric E. Small
The Cryosphere, 18, 3495–3512, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3495-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3495-2024, 2024
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Automated stations measure snow properties at a single point but are frequently used to validate data that represent much larger areas. We use lidar snow depth data to see how often the mean snow depth surrounding a snow station is within 10 cm of the snow station depth at different scales. We found snow stations overrepresent the area-mean snow depth in ~ 50 % of cases, but the direction of bias at a site is temporally consistent, suggesting a site could be calibrated to the surrounding area.
Andreas Stokholm, Jørgen Buus-Hinkler, Tore Wulf, Anton Korosov, Roberto Saldo, Leif Toudal Pedersen, David Arthurs, Ionut Dragan, Iacopo Modica, Juan Pedro, Annekatrien Debien, Xinwei Chen, Muhammed Patel, Fernando Jose Pena Cantu, Javier Noa Turnes, Jinman Park, Linlin Xu, Katharine Andrea Scott, David Anthony Clausi, Yuan Fang, Mingzhe Jiang, Saeid Taleghanidoozdoozan, Neil Curtis Brubacher, Armina Soleymani, Zacharie Gousseau, Michał Smaczny, Patryk Kowalski, Jacek Komorowski, David Rijlaarsdam, Jan Nicolaas van Rijn, Jens Jakobsen, Martin Samuel James Rogers, Nick Hughes, Tom Zagon, Rune Solberg, Nicolas Longépé, and Matilde Brandt Kreiner
The Cryosphere, 18, 3471–3494, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3471-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3471-2024, 2024
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The AutoICE challenge encouraged the development of deep learning models to map multiple aspects of sea ice – the amount of sea ice in an area and the age and ice floe size – using multiple sources of satellite and weather data across the Canadian and Greenlandic Arctic. Professionally drawn operational sea ice charts were used as a reference. A total of 179 students and sea ice and AI specialists participated and produced maps in broad agreement with the sea ice charts.
Edward H. Bair, Dar A. Roberts, David R. Thompson, Philip G. Brodrick, Brenton A. Wilder, Niklas Bohn, Chris J. Crawford, Nimrod Carmon, Carrie M. Vuyovich, and Jeff Dozier
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1681, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1681, 2024
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Key to the success of future satellite missions is understanding snowmelt in our warming climate, having implications for nearly 2 billion people. An obstacle is that an artifact, called the hook, is often mistaken for soot or dust. Instead it is caused by 3 amplifying effects: 1) a background reflectance that is too dark; 2) level terrain assumptions; 3) and differences in optical constants of ice. Sensor calibration and directional effects may also contribute. Solutions are presented.
Livia Piermattei, Michael Zemp, Christian Sommer, Fanny Brun, Matthias H. Braun, Liss M. Andreassen, Joaquín M. C. Belart, Etienne Berthier, Atanu Bhattacharya, Laura Boehm Vock, Tobias Bolch, Amaury Dehecq, Inés Dussaillant, Daniel Falaschi, Caitlyn Florentine, Dana Floricioiu, Christian Ginzler, Gregoire Guillet, Romain Hugonnet, Matthias Huss, Andreas Kääb, Owen King, Christoph Klug, Friedrich Knuth, Lukas Krieger, Jeff La Frenierre, Robert McNabb, Christopher McNeil, Rainer Prinz, Louis Sass, Thorsten Seehaus, David Shean, Désirée Treichler, Anja Wendt, and Ruitang Yang
The Cryosphere, 18, 3195–3230, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3195-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3195-2024, 2024
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Satellites have made it possible to observe glacier elevation changes from all around the world. In the present study, we compared the results produced from two different types of satellite data between different research groups and against validation measurements from aeroplanes. We found a large spread between individual results but showed that the group ensemble can be used to reliably estimate glacier elevation changes and related errors from satellite data.
Marnie B. Bryant, Adrian A. Borsa, Claire C. Masteller, Roger J. Michaelides, Matthew R. Siegfried, Adam P. Young, and Eric J. Anderson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1656, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1656, 2024
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We measure shoreline change across a 7-km stretch of coastline on the Alaskan Beaufort Sea Coast between 2019–2022 using multispectral imagery from Planet and satellite altimetry from ICESat-2. We find that shoreline change rates are high and variable, and that different shoreline types show distinct patterns of change in shoreline position and topography. We discuss how the observed changes may be driven by both time-varying ocean and air conditions and spatial variations in morphology.
Isis Brangers, Hans-Peter Marshall, Gabrielle De Lannoy, Devon Dunmire, Christian Mätzler, and Hans Lievens
The Cryosphere, 18, 3177–3193, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3177-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3177-2024, 2024
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To better understand the interactions between C-band radar waves and snow, a tower-based experiment was set up in the Idaho Rocky Mountains. The reflections were collected in the time domain to measure the backscatter profile from the various snowpack and ground surface layers. The results demonstrate that C-band radar is sensitive to seasonal patterns in snow accumulation but that changes in microstructure, stratigraphy and snow wetness may complicate satellite-based snow depth retrievals.
Lanqing Huang and Irena Hajnsek
The Cryosphere, 18, 3117–3140, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3117-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3117-2024, 2024
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Interferometric synthetic aperture radar can measure the total freeboard of sea ice but can be biased when radar signals penetrate snow and ice. We develop a new method to retrieve the total freeboard and analyze the regional variation of total freeboard and roughness in the Weddell and Ross seas. We also investigate the statistical behavior of the total freeboard for diverse ice types. The findings enhance the understanding of Antarctic sea ice topography and its dynamics in a changing climate.
Kennedy A. Lange, Alice C. Bradley, Kyle Duncan, and Sinéad L. Farrell
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1885, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1885, 2024
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Grounded sea ice ridges stabilize nearshore sea ice by anchoring it in the seafloor. In this study, we develop a method to identify grounded ridges in satellite data, and measure the height, depth, distance from shore, and width of a thousand ridges across the Alaskan Arctic, finding regional differences in these metrics across the coastline. This method lays the groundwork for a better understanding of nearshore ice stability, holding importance for Arctic community food security and safety.
Michael Studinger, Benjamin E. Smith, Nathan Kurtz, Alek Petty, Tyler Sutterley, and Rachel Tilling
The Cryosphere, 18, 2625–2652, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2625-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2625-2024, 2024
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We use green lidar data and natural-color imagery over sea ice to quantify elevation biases potentially impacting estimates of change in ice thickness of the polar regions. We complement our analysis using a model of scattering of light in snow and ice that predicts the shape of lidar waveforms reflecting from snow and ice surfaces based on the shape of the transmitted pulse. We find that biased elevations exist in airborne and spaceborne data products from green lidars.
James Dillon, Christopher Donahue, Evan Schehrer, Karl Birkeland, and Kevin Hammonds
The Cryosphere, 18, 2557–2582, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2557-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2557-2024, 2024
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Surface hoar crystals are snow grains that form when vapor deposits on a snow surface. They create a weak layer in the snowpack that can cause large avalanches to occur. Thus, determining when and where surface hoar forms is a lifesaving matter. Here, we developed a means of mapping surface hoar using remote-sensing technologies. We found that surface hoar displayed heightened texture, hence the variability of brightness. Using this, we created surface hoar maps with an accuracy upwards of 95 %.
Riley Culberg, Roger J. Michaelides, and Julie Z. Miller
The Cryosphere, 18, 2531–2555, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2531-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2531-2024, 2024
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Ice slabs enhance meltwater runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Therefore, it is important to understand their extent and change in extent over time. We present a new method for detecting ice slabs in satellite radar data, which we use to map ice slabs at 500 m resolution across the entire ice sheet in winter 2016–2017. Our results provide better spatial coverage and resolution than previous maps from airborne radar and lay the groundwork for long-term monitoring of ice slabs from space.
Andreas Wernecke, Dirk Notz, Stefan Kern, and Thomas Lavergne
The Cryosphere, 18, 2473–2486, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2473-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2473-2024, 2024
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The total Arctic sea-ice area (SIA), which is an important climate indicator, is routinely monitored with the help of satellite measurements. Uncertainties in observations of sea-ice concentration (SIC) partly cancel out when summed up to the total SIA, but the degree to which this is happening has been unclear. Here we find that the uncertainty daily SIA estimates, based on uncertainties in SIC, are about 300 000 km2. The 2002 to 2017 September decline in SIA is approx. 105 000 ± 9000 km2 a−1.
Steven J. Pestana, C. Chris Chickadel, and Jessica D. Lundquist
The Cryosphere, 18, 2257–2276, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2257-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2257-2024, 2024
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We compared infrared images taken by GOES-R satellites of an area with snow and forests against surface temperature measurements taken on the ground, from an aircraft, and by another satellite. We found that GOES-R measured warmer temperatures than the other measurements, especially in areas with more forest and when the Sun was behind the satellite. From this work, we learned that the position of the Sun and surface features such as trees that can cast shadows impact GOES-R infrared images.
Stephen E. L. Howell, David G. Babb, Jack C. Landy, Isolde A. Glissenaar, Kaitlin McNeil, Benoit Montpetit, and Mike Brady
The Cryosphere, 18, 2321–2333, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2321-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2321-2024, 2024
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The CAA serves as both a source and a sink for sea ice from the Arctic Ocean, while also exporting sea ice into Baffin Bay. It 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 Parry Channel, which spans the central region of the Northwest Passage.
Karl Kortum, Suman Singha, Gunnar Spreen, Nils Hutter, Arttu Jutila, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere, 18, 2207–2222, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2207-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2207-2024, 2024
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A dataset of 20 radar satellite acquisitions and near-simultaneous helicopter-based surveys of the ice topography during the MOSAiC expedition is constructed and used to train a variety of deep learning algorithms. The results give realistic insights into the accuracy of retrieval of measured ice classes using modern deep learning models. The models able to learn from the spatial distribution of the measured sea ice classes are shown to have a clear advantage over those that cannot.
Christoph Posch, Jakob Abermann, and Tiago Silva
The Cryosphere, 18, 2035–2059, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2035-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2035-2024, 2024
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Radar beams from satellites exhibit reflection differences between water and ice. This condition, as well as the comprehensive coverage and high temporal resolution of the Sentinel-1 satellites, allows automatically detecting the timing of when ice cover of lakes in Greenland disappear. We found that lake ice breaks up 3 d later per 100 m elevation gain and that the average break-up timing varies by ±8 d in 2017–2021, which has major implications for the energy budget of the lakes.
Shiyi Li, Lanqing Huang, Philipp Bernhard, and Irena Hajnsek
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-942, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-942, 2024
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This work presented an improved method for seasonal wet snow mapping in Karakoram. SAR and topographic data were effectively integrated for robust wet snow classification in complex mountainous terrain. Applying the method to large scale Sentinel-1 imagery, we have generated wet snow maps covering the three major water basins in Karakraom over four years (2017–2021). Critical snow variables were further derived from the maps and provided valuable insights on regional snow melting dynamics.
Jiahui Xu, Yao Tang, Linxin Dong, Shujie Wang, Bailang Yu, Jianping Wu, Zhaojun Zheng, and Yan Huang
The Cryosphere, 18, 1817–1834, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1817-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1817-2024, 2024
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Understanding snow phenology (SP) and its possible feedback are important. We reveal spatiotemporal heterogeneous SP on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the mediating effects from meteorological, topographic, and environmental factors on it. The direct effects of meteorology on SP are much greater than the indirect effects. Topography indirectly effects SP, while vegetation directly effects SP. This study contributes to understanding past global warming and predicting future trends on the TP.
Natalya Maslennikova, Pietro Milillo, Kalyana Babu Nakshatrala, Roberto Ballarini, Aaron Stubblefield, and Luigi Dini
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-875, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-875, 2024
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Analyzing remote sensing radar data over three Antarctic glaciers, we observe short-term grounding line migrations. We simulate this phenomenon using viscous and viscoelastic continuum mechanics models. We quantify the sensitivity of the grounding zone width to bedrock slope, glacier thickness, and ice flow speed. Comparisons of the models’ predictions with the observations highlight the necessity of including ice elasticity in non-Newtonian models of glacier ice.
Cited articles
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Baessler, M., Rosenau, R., Dietrich, R., Shibuya, K., and Doi, K.: Utilizing InSAR for the measurement of ice flow velocities and ocean tide induced height changes of ice shelves at their grounding zones and surroundings, Proc. IEEE Int. Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), Munich, July 2012, 3249–3252, 2012.
Bindschadler, R., Choi, H., Wichlacz, A., Bingham, R., Bohlander, J., Brunt, K., Corr, H., Drews, R., Fricker, H., Hall, M., Hindmarsh, R., Kohler, J., Padman, L., Rack, W., Rotschky, G., Urbini, S., Vornberger, P., and Young, N.: Getting around Antarctica: new high-resolution mappings of the grounded and freely-floating boundaries of the Antarctic ice sheet created for the International Polar Year, The Cryosphere, 5, 569–588, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-569-2011, 2011.
Bindschadler, R. A., King, M. A., Alley, R. B., Anandakrishnan, S., and Padman, L.: Tidally controlled stick-slip discharge of a West Antarctic ice stream, Science, 301, 1087–1089, 2003.
Breit, H., Fritz, T., Balss, B., Lachaise, M., Niedermeier A., and Vonavka, M.: TerraSAR-X SAR Processing and Products, IEEE TGRS 48, 727–740, 2010.
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