Antarctic sea-ice extents and concentrations: comparison of satellite and ship measurements from International Polar Year cruises

• Published in: Annals of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Ozsoy-Cicek, B, Ackley, SF, Worby, A, Xie, H, Lieser, J
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Int Glaciol Soc 2011
• Subjects: Earth Sciences; Oceanography; Physical oceanography; Antarctic; East Antarctica; The Antarctic; West Antarctica; Annals of Glaciology; Antarc*; Antarctica; E. Antarctica; International Polar Year; IPY; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931877; http://ecite.utas.edu.au/76887

Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt) ship-based ice observations, conductedduring the Sea Ice Mass Balance in the Antarctic (SIMBA) and Sea Ice Physics and EcosystemeXperiment (SIPEX) International Polar Year (IPY) cruises (September-October 2007), are used tovalidate remote-sensing measurements of ice extent and concentration. Observations include variedsea-ice types at and inside the ice edge of West (~90 Degree W) and East (~120 Degree E) Antarctica. Time series ofAdvanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) ice extents and USNational Ice Center (NIC) ice edges were obtained for the 2007-08 periods bracketing the period thesecruises were conducted. A comparison between passive microwave satellite imagery and ASPeCtobservations of sea-ice concentration during two cruises was also performed. In 908W regions, theconcentrated pack ice indicated good correlation between ship observations and passive microwaveestimates of the ice concentration (R2 = 0.80). In the marginal zone of West Antarctica and over nearlythe entire sea-ice zone of East Antarctica, correlation dropped to R2 < 0.60. These findings are consistentwith other studies comparing passive microwave and ship observations and further verify that the EastAntarctic sea-ice zone is more marginal in character. There are significant ice-edge differences betweenAMSR-E and NIC between late November 2007 and early March 2008 such that the AMSR-E sea-iceextent estimate is 1-2x10 6 km2 less than the NIC estimate.