Intercomparisons of sea ice concentration from SSM/I and AVHRR data of the Ross Sea

SSM/I and AVHRR sea ice mapping capabilities are analyzed using Antarctic data acquired during November 1990 over the Ross Sea. Quantitative comparisons between sea ice concentrations obtained from SSM/I and AVHRR data show differences of −10% to +50% with average differences between 9% and 17%. These differences are mainly attributed to: a) sea ice reflectance and emissivity spatial variations occurring during the melting season, which reduce the accuracy of concentrations obtained with global tie points, and b) colocation inaccuracy between SSM/I and AVHRR grids.