Method to estimate drag coefficient at the air/ice interface over drifting open pack ice from remotely sensed data

• Main Author: Feldman, U.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: 1984
• Subjects: EARTH RESOURCES AND REMOTE SENSING; Beaufort Sea
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19840019242

A knowledge in near real time, of the surface drag coefficient for drifting pack ice is vital for predicting its motions. And since this is not routinely available from measurements it must be replaced by estimates. Hence, a method for estimating this variable, as well as the drag coefficient at the water/ice interface and the ice thickness, for drifting open pack ice was developed. These estimates were derived from three-day sequences of LANDSAT-1 MSS images and surface weather charts and from the observed minima and maxima of these variables. The method was tested with four data sets in the southeastern Beaufort sea. Acceptable results were obtained for three data sets. Routine application of the method depends on the availability of data from an all-weather air or spaceborne remote sensing system, producing images with high geometric fidelity and high resolution.