HR: 14:10h
AN: C33A-03    [Abstracts]
TI: Ice Sheet Elevations from ICESat - Evolving Precision and Accuracy Assessments
AU: * Shuman, C A
EM: Christopher.A.Shuman@nasa.gov
AF: Cryospheric Sciences Branch, Laboratory for Hydrospheric and Biospheric Processes, Code 614.1 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Zwally, H J
EM: H.Jay.Zwally.1@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: Cryospheric Sciences Branch, Laboratory for Hydrospheric and Biospheric Processes, Code 614.1 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Schutz, B E
EM: schutz@csr.utexas.edu
AF: Center for Space Research, University of Texas, Austin, 3925 West Braker Lane, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78759 United States
AU: Brenner, A C
EM: anita.brenner@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: SSAI, 10210 Greenbelt Rd Suite 600, Lanham, MD 20706 United States
AU: DiMarzio, J P
EM: John.P.Dimarzio.1@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: SGT, Inc., Code 614.1 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Suchdeo, V P
EM: Vijay.P.Suchdeo.1@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NVI, Inc., Code 614.1 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AB: Since 'first light' in early 2003, NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) has derived surface elevations from ~86°N to 86°S latitude. These unique altimetry data have been acquired in a discrete series of observation periods in repeated track patterns using all three Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) lasers. This presentation will focus on ice sheet elevation data that were obtained from 2003 into 2005 and discuss plans for continuing data acquisition. Elevations across both polar regions will be illustrated and the evolving precision and accuracy of the resulting ice sheet elevations will be discussed primarily using data from Antarctica. Tracks across Lake Vostok, the Siple Coast, and the Ross Ice Shelf will be used to detail the ICESat elevation data. Some factors impacting change detection and ice sheet mass balance assessments from this data will also be discussed. Currently, the relative accuracy of ICESat elevations is about 16 cm based on the standard deviation of low-slope crossover differences and its precision is nearly 2 cm using Laser 2a, Release 21, GLA12 data. Additional operation period data is being made available via the NSIDC (http://nsidc.org/data/icesat/).
UR: http://icesat.gsfc.nasa.gov/
DE: 0726 Ice sheets
DE: 0728 Ice shelves
DE: 0730 Ice streams
DE: 0758 Remote sensing
DE: 0776 Glaciology (1621, 1827, 1863)
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005