Preliminary Analysis of Laser Terrain Profiles of Sea Ice Surfaces.

• Main Author: Ketchum, Robert D., Jr
• Other Authors: NAVAL OCEANOGRAPHIC OFFICE NSTL STATION MS
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1970
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Lasers and Masers; (*SEA ICE; AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE); (*AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE; LASERS); MAPPING; AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY; SURFACE PROPERTIES; ROUGHNESS; CRACKS; THICKNESS; DATA PROCESSING; ICE ISLANDS; ARCTIC REGIONS; ICE REPORTING; ICE FORECASTING; *LASER TERRAIN PROFILES; *REMOTE SENSING; WH-4 ICE ISLAND; Arctic; Beaufort Sea; Ice; permafrost; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0871646; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0871646

The paper describes the results of a preliminary analysis of laser terrain profile data obtained with coincident photography from an altitude of 1000 feet over the sea ice fields of the Beaufort Sea in April 1968. Analysis of the data reveals that sea ice surface roughness and the nature of the roughness and relative surface reflectivities, which are both manifested in the laser terrain profile, can be used to interpret the categorical stages of ice development. The laser terrain profiler seemingly detected, with acceptable accuracy, all ice features traversed; however, ice pressure ridges, ice hummocks, or ice blocks could not be discriminated from each other on the record since the measurement is only two dimensional. These features were always detectable even when occurring in rapid succession. Cracks are very discernible on the laser terrain profile record. Useful estimations of the thickness of sea ice from the laser data were not possible. The errors possible in interpolation of the aircraft altitude variations were unacceptable for determining the ice surface elevation above sea level. (Author)