Articles | Volume 9, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1895-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1895-2015
Research article
 | 
25 Sep 2015
Research article |  | 25 Sep 2015

CryoSat-2 delivers monthly and inter-annual surface elevation change for Arctic ice caps

L. Gray, D. Burgess, L. Copland, M. N. Demuth, T. Dunse, K. Langley, and T. V. Schuler

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Cited articles

Abdalati, W., Krabill, F., Manizade, S., Martin, C., Sonntag, J., Swift, R., Thomas, R., Yungel, J., and Koerner, R.: Elevation changes of ice caps in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 109, F04007, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JF000045, 2004.
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Arthern, R. J., Wingham, D. J., and Ridout, A. L.: Controls on ERS altimeter measurements over ice sheets: Footprint-scale topography, backscatter fluctuations, and the dependence of microwave penetration on satellite orientation, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 106, 33471–33484, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD000498, 2001.
Baird, P. D.: Method of nourishment of the Barnes ice cap, J. Glaciol., 2, 2–9, 1952.
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Short summary
We show that the Cryosat (CS) radar altimeter can measure elevation change on a variety of Arctic ice caps. With the frequent coverage of Cryosat it is even possible to track summer surface height loss due to extensive melt; no other satellite altimeter has been able to do this. However, we also show that under cold conditions there is a bias between the surface and Cryosat detected elevation which varies with the conditions of the upper snow and firn layers.