Snow and ice characteristics of the Bellingshausen Sea, during the spring melt

Snow and ice characteristics are discussed, relating to the marginal ice zone and the interior pack ice of the Bellingshausen Sea during the spring melt of 1992. ERS-1 SAR satellite imagery collected between late November and early December 1992 was used to determine the location and movement of the ice edge and to estimate ice concentration in the marginal ice zone during this period. Using two consecutive scenes of image data, the motion of selected floes within the interior pack ice was determined. In order to provide a better understanding of the physical and dynamic processes in this region, the analysis of ground truth collected at a number of stations is discussed in conjunction with the interpretation of satellite imagery.