Seasat, Ers-1/2 And Nscat Scatterometer-Observed Changes On The Large Ice Sheets

• Main Authors: Mark Drinkwater And, Mark R. Drinkwater, David G. Long
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antarctic; Greenland; Antarc*; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.30.3417; http://polar.jpl.nasa.gov/Publications/Drink_Long_ESA424.pdf

Satellite-borne wind scatterometers are effective tools for monitoring ice sheets, and microwave imaging techniques enable comparison of historic and contemporary scatterometer data in climate change studies. We document scattering characteristics of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets using data from the NSCAT, ERS-1/2 and Seasat SASS instruments. C- and Ku-band data enable characterization of frequency- and incidence-angle dependent scattering characteristics, together with regional and seasonal melting delineation. NSCAT-SASS data differences indicate 18 year changes in microwave backscattering coefficient in response to decadal time-scale changes in the spatial patterns of ice sheet accumulation and ablation. 1. INTRODUCTION Controversy over the relationship between global warming and changes in the Greenland ice sheet [Refs. 1, 2] make it imperative to accurately quantify mass balance and the time and space scales of variability in snow accumulation and ablation. Briefly in 1.