Comparison of MODIS LST and SSM/I melt detection products on the Greenland ice sheet

• Main Author: Lieberman, Jordan Pesses
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: uga 2010
• Subjects: Greenland; surface melt; remote sensing; MODIS; SSM/I; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10724/26696; http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/lieberman_jordan_p_201008_ms

Passive microwave and thermal IR satellite products are compared based on their ability to detect melt occurrence on the Greenland ice sheet. The 2006 and 2007 melt seasons are examined for differences in the melt onset, duration, and extent of the products, as well as their effectiveness of detection over different regions of the ice sheet. The IR product provides higher spatial resolution than the microwave. However, the microwave product can obtain data through clouds, and was 13 times more likely to indicate melt when and where the IR product did not provide a decision due to cloud cover. The IR product indicated melt onset five days earlier, while the microwave product indicated a 15-day longer duration. Both products indicated similar annual melt extent and day-to-day variability. MS Geography Geography Thomas Mote Thomas Mote J. Marshall Shepherd Dorothy Hall