A comparison of ice thickness data from helicopter-borne sensors with SAR imagery for the Beaufort Sea and Labrador Shelf

Field programs were conducted in the Beaufort Sea in April 2010 and off Labrador in March 2011 to collect sea-ice and snow thickness data, for validation of RADARSAT-2 and TerraSAR-X synthetic aperture radar (SAR) ice signatures and CryoSAT ice thickness data. Measurements of snow-plus-ice thickness and surface freshwater layer thickness were collected with an electromagnetic (EM)-induction/laser system, fix-mounted on a helicopter. Measurements of snow thickness and the thickness of level ice in low-salinity waters were collected with a 1000-MHz ground-penetrating radar. The SAR imagery provides a good indication of where each method can be used for ice thickness measurement. The ice and snow thickness datasets collected can be used for developing SAR algorithms for ice types and surface roughness, and for validating Cryosat ice thickness data.