Analysis of sea ice thickness and mass estimation with a spaceborne laser altimeter

Author

Luntama, J.-P. ; Koponen, S. ; Hallikainen, M.

Author_Institution

Lab. of Space Technol., Helsinki Univ. of Technol., Espoo, Finland

Volume

3

fYear

1997

fDate

3-8 Aug 1997

Firstpage

1314

Abstract

Sea ice is one of the most important components of the Earth´s cryosphere. It modifies the sea-air heat and momentum exchanges, Earth´s radiation budget and affects the global heat and freshwater circulation. None of the existing satellite instruments can provide detailed measurements of the sea ice topography and elevation, that is necessary for the study of the sea ice mass balance. This paper presents the results of an analysis that was made for the European Space Agency concerning the feasibility of a spaceborne laser altimeter for sea ice measurement. The analysis indicates that a laser altimeter with a spatial resolution of 50 m-100 m can be used to globally measure sea ice thickness and estimate sea ice mass with an accuracy exceeding the accuracy of the present spaceborne measurement techniques

Keywords

laser ranging; oceanographic techniques; optical radar; remote sensing by laser beam; sea ice; thickness measurement; laser ranging; laser remote sensing; lidar; mass estimation; measurement technique; ocean; sea ice; spaceborne laser altimeter; surface elevation; thickness; topography; Earth; Ice thickness; Instruments; Measurement techniques; Satellites; Sea ice; Sea measurements; Spatial resolution; Surfaces; Thickness measurement;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 1997. IGARSS '97. Remote Sensing - A Scientific Vision for Sustainable Development., 1997 IEEE International

Print_ISBN

0-7803-3836-7

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IGARSS.1997.606433

Filename

606433