Microwave observations of daily Antarctic sea-ice edge expansion and contraction rates

• Main Authors: Long, David G., Allen, Jeffrey R.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2006
• Subjects: QuikSCAT; SeaWinds; Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSMI); sea ice; water; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Antarctic; Antarc*; ice pack; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/329; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/context/facpub/article/1328/viewcontent/IR_CISOPTR_695.pdf

Algorithms for estimating sea-ice extent from remotely sensed microwave sensor data can benefit from knowledge of the "a priori" distribution of the daily expansion and contraction of the sea-ice pack. To estimate the probability distribution of daily Antarctic sea-ice extent change, two independent sea-ice datasets are analyzed: sea-ice extent derived from the QuikSCAT scatterometer and ice concentration estimates from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager. The daily sea-ice advance and retreat is tracked over a four-year period. The distribution of the daily sea-ice advance/retreat from each sensor is similar and is approximately double-exponential. Daily ice-pack statistics are presented.