Melt detection in Antarctic ice-sheets using spaceborne scatterometers and radiometers

Author

Kunz, Lukas B. ; Long, David G.

Author_Institution

Microwave Earth Remote Sensing Lab., Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT, USA

Volume

1

fYear

2004

fDate

20-24 Sept. 2004

Lastpage

120

Abstract

Backscatter measurements from the Sea Winds on QuikSCAT scatterometer are used to determine periods of surface freeze and melt on Antarctic ice-shelves. A maximum likelihood method is used to infer the daily ice-surface conditions for various study points located on the Ronne, Ross, Larsen, Fimbul, Amery, and Shackleton ice-shelves. Criteria for determining the dates of melt-onset and freeze-up for each Austral summer are presented. Validation of the ice-state and melt-onset date estimates is performed by analyzing the corresponding brightness temperature (T_b) measurements from special sensor microwave/imager (SSM/I) radiometers. QuikSCAT σ° measurements from 1999 through 2003 are analyzed and found to be very useful for determining periods of melt in Antarctic ice-sheets and provide high temporal and spatial resolution ice-state estimates.

Keywords

glaciology; ice; image sensors; maximum likelihood detection; radar cross-sections; radiometry; spaceborne radar; AD 1999 to 2003; Amery ice-shelf; Antarctic ice-sheets; Austral summer; Fimbul ice-shelf; Larsen ice-shelf; QuikSCAT scatterometer; Ronne ice-shelf; Ross ice-shelf; SSM/I radiometer; Sea Winds; Shackleton ice-shelf; brightness temperature; ice-state/melt-onset date; ice-surface condition; maximum likelihood method; melt detection; melt period temporal-spatial resolution; spaceborne scatterometer/radiometer; special sensor microwave/imager; surface freeze/melt periods; Antarctica; Backscatter; Maximum likelihood detection; Maximum likelihood estimation; Ocean temperature; Radar measurements; Radiometers; Sea measurements; Sea surface; Spaceborne radar;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2004. IGARSS '04. Proceedings. 2004 IEEE International

Print_ISBN

0-7803-8742-2

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IGARSS.2004.1368959

Filename

1368959