Analysis of Antarctic Iceberg and Sea Ice Melting Patterns using QuikSCAT

QuikSCAT tracking of Antarctic icebergs is discussed, and iceberg movement trends are illustrated. Iceberg melting factors are explored and a backscatter time-series is presented. Interactions between ice-berg and sea ice are examined using QuikSCAT data. To improve QuikSCAT sea ice mapping capability, a threshold algorithm to detect polynyas is developed. The 2006-2007 Antarctic ablation season is analyzed and correlations between polynya formation and sea ice melting are explored. General sea ice melting patterns are discussed, and statistics are derived from QuikSCAT´s life mission and compared with SSM/I measurements. This study finds that while average Antarctic sea ice coverage is increasing, minimum sea ice extent is decreasing.