Iceberg signatures and detection in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images in two test regions of the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

A pixel-based methodology has been established for automatic identification of icebergs in satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired during different seasons and for different seaice conditions. This includes, in particular, smaller icebergs (longitudinal axis 100m to 18.5 km). Invest...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Glaciology
Main Authors: Wesche, Christine, Dierking, Wolfgang
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: INT GLACIOL SOC 2012
Subjects:
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Weddell Sea
Weddell
Asar
Antarc*
Antarctica
Antarctica Journal
Iceberg*
Journal of Glaciology
Sea ice
Online Access:https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/25912/
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/25912/1/11J020R1.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.38879
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.38879.d001
Description
Summary:A pixel-based methodology has been established for automatic identification of icebergs in satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired during different seasons and for different seaice conditions. This includes, in particular, smaller icebergs (longitudinal axis 100m to 18.5 km). Investigations were carried out for two test regions located in theWeddell Sea, Antarctica, using images of the Envisat Advanced SAR (ASAR) at HH polarization and of the European Remote-sensing Satellite-2 (ERS-2) SAR (VV-polarized). From the former, a sequence of Image Mode and Wide Swath Mode data are available for the whole of 2006. The ERS data were acquired around the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula in spring and summer months of the years 2000–03. The minimum size of icebergs that could be identified in the IM images was <0.02km2. Radar backscattering coefficients of icebergs, sea ice and open water were determined separately.We demonstrate that the error in separating icebergs from their surroundings (sea ice or open water) depends on meteorological, oceanographic and sea-ice conditions. Also the pre-processing of the SAR images (e.g. speckle reduction) influences iceberg recognition. Differences in detection accuracy as a function of season could not be substantiated for our test sites, but have in general to be taken into account, as results of other investigations indicate.

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