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Sea Ice Mass Balance in the Antarctic - Remote Sensing

Entry ID: SIMBA_Remote_Sensing

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Summary

Abstract: Monthly average sea ice concentration for February to May, 2007 and June to September 2007 show regionally where the ice edge for the month in question equator ward/pole ward of the 29-year mean. Based on the 29 year time series (1979-2007), the following rankings were observed for monthly averaged Southern Ocean sea ice extent from January to August 2007: January 2007 was the fourth lowest ... January observed over 1979-2007; February the second lowest; March and April the fourth lowest; May the second lowest, June the fourth lowest, July the third lowest, and August the lowest. In general the western Weddell and western Ross Sea regions showed near to above average sea ice extent. In contrast, the Bellingshausen-Amundsen Sea region showed well below average sea ice extent, with the following monthly rankings: January and February were the fourth lowest; March was the lowest, April was the second lowest; May through July was the lowest; and August was the fifth lowest. Sea ice extent averaged over September 1-18, 2007 (the data available before leaving port) showed September to be the lowest over 1979-2007 for the Bellingshausen-Amundsen Sea region. However, September’s ranking may change slightly with the inclusion of days 19-30 in the monthly average.

The dataset includes monthly averaged sea ice concentrations for Feb-May and Jun-Sep with dotted contour outlines that resemble the ice edge for the month in question. As seen in the monthly sea ice concentration images, the ice edge in the Bellingshausen-Amundsen Sea region was well pole ward during the months of sea ice advance (Feb-Sep). Using the daily sea ice concentration data, the day of sea ice advance (in year day) was recorded for every location in the daily sea ice concentration images for each year. Anomalies in the timing of sea ice advance were determined by subtracting the mean (1979-2007) day of sea ice advance from the day of advance for each location in 2007. The advance in most of the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Sea region was up to 80+ days later than the 29-year mean. Sea ice advance also was late in the East Antarctic sector between 90-130E where the RVIB Aurora Australis conducted an IPY research cruise during August-September.

Data set also includes brightness temperatures, sea ice concentration differences between enhanced NASA Team (NT2) and Bootstrap Basic Algorithm (BBA), snow depth over sea ice, among other data. The 12.5 km sea ice concentration product is generated using two algorithms: the enhanced NASA Team (NT2) algorithm (Markus and Cavalieri 2000) for the Arctic and the Bootstrap Basic Algorithm (BBA, Comiso 1995) for the Antarctic. The quikscat data are given as backscatter coefficient in dB (log scale). The QuikScat instrument is a conically scanning radar that transmit and receive at both Horizontal and Vertical polarization. (HH is for transmitted and received horizontal polarization, VV for vertical). The POL images are the ratio of VV to HH. The HH and VV images are rather similar. Over the ocean the signals are strongly correlated with wind speed. Over the ice, the signal is more associated with ice type than ice concentration (older ice -&gt; stronger backscatter (red)). Processes in the snow (grain size etc. can generate stronger backscatter (red areas) as well. The POL image normally gives a reasonable reliable ice extent (maximum limit of the ice). Eleven RADARSat (high resolution active microwave were also obtained over the area of the SIMBA cruise track during the time of the expedition and were used to correlate ice properties with shipboard observations taken at the same time.

Purpose: Year 2007’s sea ice extent, concentration and timing of sea ice advance for the months February to September were analyzed within the context of variability observed over 1979-2007. The analyses were based on passive microwave satellite derived sea ice observations available from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder Colorado.

Related URL

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Description: DMSP SSM/I Daily and Monthly Polar Gridded Sea Ice Concentrations (Passive Microwave)

Geographic Coverage

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Spatial coordinates

N: -61.85

S: -70.68

E: -64.05

W: -94.85

Parent DIF

This data set description is a member of a collection. The collection is described in
Project ID: SIMBA Drift Station

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 2007-02-01

Stop Date: 2007-05-30

Start Date: 2007-06-01

Stop Date: 2007-09-30

Location Keywords

CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA

GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR

OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN > BELLINGSHAUSEN SEA

Science Keywords

CRYOSPHERE > SEA ICE > ICE TEMPERATURE

CRYOSPHERE > SEA ICE > SEA ICE CONCENTRATION

CRYOSPHERE > SNOW/ICE > SNOW DEPTH

OCEANS > SEA ICE > SEA ICE CONCENTRATION

ISO Topic Category

CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE

ENVIRONMENT

OCEANS

Platform

SV > Snow Vehicle

GPS > Global Positioning System Satellites

R/V NBP > R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer

Instrument

DREDGING DEVICES

STD > Salinity, Temperature, Depth

GPS > Global Positioning System

Project

NSF/OPP > Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation

IPY > INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR

Access Constraints None

Data Set Progress

IN WORK

Originating Center

Laboratory for Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics UTSA

Data Center

National Snow and Ice Data Center

Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org

Data Center Personnel
Name: STEPHEN ACKLEY Phone: +1 1 210 341 6556 Email: sackley at pol.net, Stephen.ackley at utsa.edu Contact Address: 118 W Castle Ln City: San Antonio Province or State: Texas Postal Code: 78213 Country: USA

Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC USER SERVICES Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199 Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468 Email: nsidc at nsidc.org Contact Address: National Snow and Ice Data Center CIRES, 449 UCB University of Colorado City: Boulder Province or State: CO Postal Code: 80309-0449 Country: USA

Personnel

STEPHEN ACKLEY

Role: INVESTIGATOR

Phone: +1 1 210 341 6556

Email: sackley at pol.net, Stephen.ackley at utsa.edu

Contact Address:

118 W Castle Ln

City: San Antonio

Province or State: Texas

Postal Code: 78213

Country: USA

JESSICA JIMENEZ

Role: DIF AUTHOR

Phone: 956-451-9288

Email: Jessica.jimenez_eng at yahoo.com

Contact Address:

3407 Ivy Ave

City: Hidalgo

Province or State: Texas

Postal Code: 78557

Country: USA

Publications/References

Ozsoy-Cicek, B., Kern, S., Ackley, S.F., Xie, H., Tekeli, A.E., (May 2011), Intercomparisons of Antarctic sea ice properties from ship observations, active and passive microwave satellite observations in the Bellingshausen Sea, Deep Sea Research II, 58, 9-10, 1092-1111, doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.10.031, 0967-0645(201105)58:9-10;1-h, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967064510003164

Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2012-02-16

Last DIF Revision Date: 2012-04-20

Future DIF Review Date: 2012-02-16

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