Consistent ice and open water classification combining historical synthetic aperture radar satellite images from ERS-1/2, Envisat ASAR, RADARSAT-2 and Sentinel-1A/B

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite images are used to monitor Arctic sea ice, with systematic data records dating back to 1991. We propose a semi-supervised classification method that separates open water from sea ice and can utilise ERS-1/2, Envisat ASAR, RADARSAT-2 and Sentinel-1 SAR images....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of Glaciology
Main Authors: Johansson, Malin, Malnes, Eirik, Gerland, Sebastian, Cristea, Anca, Doulgeris, Anthony Paul, Divine, Dmitry V, Pavlova, Olga, Lauknes, Tom Rune
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2020
Subjects:
VDP::Technology: 500
VDP::Teknologi: 500
VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Geosciences: 450
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Geofag: 450
Arctic
Asar
Ny-Ålesund
Rijpfjorden
Svalbard
Annals of Glaciology
Kongsfjord*
Kongsfjorden
Ny Ålesund
Rijpfjord*
Sea ice
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10037/17348
https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2019.52
Description
Summary:Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite images are used to monitor Arctic sea ice, with systematic data records dating back to 1991. We propose a semi-supervised classification method that separates open water from sea ice and can utilise ERS-1/2, Envisat ASAR, RADARSAT-2 and Sentinel-1 SAR images. The classification combines automatic segmentation with a manual segment selection stage. The segmentation algorithm requires only the backscatter intensities and incidence angle values as input, therefore can be used to establish a consistent decadal sea ice record. In this study we investigate the sea ice conditions in two Svalbard fjords, Kongsfjorden and Rijpfjorden. Both fjords have a seasonal ice cover, though Rijpfjorden has a longer sea ice season. The satellite image dataset has weekly to daily records from 2002 until now, and less frequent records between 1991 and 2002. Time overlap between different sensors is investigated to ensure consistency in the reported sea ice cover. The classification results have been compared to high-resolution SAR data as well as in-situ measurements and sea ice maps from Ny-Ålesund. For both fjords the length of the sea ice season has shortened since 2002 and for Kongsfjorden the maximum sea ice coverage is significantly lower after 2006.

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