HR: 0830h
AN: C41C-1003    [PDF]
TI: Arctic Sea-Ice Measurement from Aircraft
AU: * Childers, V A
EM: vicki,childers@nrl.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Lab, Code 7420, 4555 Overlook Ave SW, Washington, DC 20375 United States
AU: Brozena, J M
EM: john.brozena@nrl.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Lab, Code 7420, 4555 Overlook Ave SW, Washington, DC 20375 United States
AB: Monitoring sea ice thickness has proven difficult and numerical models are plagued by a scarcity of in situ data in the polar regions. Satellites cannot directly measure ice thickness, but the possibility exists of estimating ice thickness from ice freeboard measurements from new ESA and NASA altimetric satellites. Measuring ice freeboard from satellites, however, poses a significant scientific challenge. We discuss a method to measure ice freeboard using radar and laser altimeters aboard a P-3 aircraft, where the lower aircraft altitude reduces many of the measurement ambiguities, with the goal of improving satellite freeboard measurement. From airborne freeboard estimates, ice thickness is inferred from assumptions of snow, ice, and water density and verified using various ground-truthing opportunities. We present estimates of ice thickness from our existing extensive radar-altimetric sea-surface topography data set (1992-1999) that spans two-thirds of the Arctic Ocean basin. Ultimately, the goal is to convert satellite altimeter measurements to ice thickness estimates for model inputs to yield near-real-time ice thickness estimates.
DE: 4540 Ice mechanics and air/sea/ice exchange processes
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting