High-resolution mapping of circum-Antarctic landfast sea ice distribution, 2000–2018

• Published in: Earth System Science Data
• Main Authors: Fraser, Alexander D., Massom, Robert A., Ohshima, Kay I., Willmes, Sascha, Kappes, Peter J., Cartwright, Jessica, Porter-Smith, Richard
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Antarctic; East Antarctica; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Sheet; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2987-2020; https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/12/2987/2020/

Landfast sea ice (fast ice) is an important component of the Antarctic nearshore marine environment, where it strongly modulates ice sheet–ocean–atmosphere interactions and biological and biogeochemical processes, forms a key habitat, and affects logistical operations. Given the wide-ranging importance of Antarctic fast ice and its sensitivity to climate change, improved knowledge of its change and variability in its distribution is a high priority. Antarctic fast-ice mapping to date has been limited to regional studies and a time series covering East Antarctica from 2000 to 2008. Here, we present the first continuous, high-spatio-temporal resolution (1 km, 15 d) time series of circum-Antarctic fast-ice extent; this covers the period March 2000 to March 2018, with future updates planned. This dataset was derived by compositing cloud-free satellite visible and thermal infrared imagery using an existing methodology, modified to enhance automation and reduce subjectivity in defining the fast-ice edge. This new dataset ( Fraser et al. , 2020 ) has wide applicability and is available at https://doi.org/10.26179/5d267d1ceb60c . The new algorithm presented here will enable continuous large-scale fast-ice mapping and monitoring into the future.