Initial Evaluation of MODIS Sea Ice Observations

• Main Authors: George Riggs, Dorothy K. Hall, Jeffrey, R. Key
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Key words; sea ice; ice surface temperature; MODIS; remote sensing; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.537.856; http://www.easternsnow.org/proceedings/2001/Riggs.pdf

Sea ice data products generated with data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Terra spacecraft have been produced since 24 February 2000. Algorithms generate products that contain data on sea ice extent and ice surface temperature determined with visible and thermal data. Sea ice extent is determined by visible reflectance characteristics and ice surface temperature is estimated with a split-window technique. Analyses have revealed that sea ice extent and ice surface temperature in the products are in reasonable agreement with independent sources. Analyses have also identified errors occurring in the sea ice algorithm. Discerning clouds from sea ice is a significant problem in daytime imagery; however, changes in cloud detection may alleviate much of the problem. The algorithms are briefly described; findings of early analysis and current state of the sea ice data products are presented.