FY2004 Research Products
Sea ice observations in the sub-arctic and arctic by advanced satellite sensors of ADEOS-II and AQUA with field observations
- PI: Dr. Hiroyuki Enomoto
- Project title: Sea Ice Observations in the Arctic by Advanced Satellite Sensors of ADEOS-II
The advanced microwave sensors AMSR/AMSR-E, onboard the JAXA ADEOS-II and the NASA Aqua satellites respectively, have obtained new data on Arctic snow and ice brightness temperature. These sensors have more spectral channels with higher spatial resolution that allow remote sensing techniques to detect thin sea ice formation/growth and sea ice motion with higher reliability for estimating the physical properties of sea ice which change through the freezing/melting stages. Previous estimates of snow cover extent and physical properties were often subject to classification errors due to limited understanding of freezing/melting processes. In our research, we address the uncertainties leading to classification errors. This will have an impact on climate research in the Arctic focused on the natural and anthropogenic causes of global warming.
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Figure 1. New microwave observations by AMSR: A composite image of the 19, 37, 89GHz channels indicates a detailed surface structure of sea ice on June 1, 2003. Hydrological conditions of snow on land and river features can be determined (copyright, H. Enomoto).  |
| Figure 2. Mean ice drift estimation by passive microwave data (SSM/I for 8-winter average): Regional enhancement is planned with AMSR/ANSR data. The Sea of Okhotsk is test a area for developing new microwave remote sensing techniques. Satellite retrieval techniques are applied to the seasonal sea ice area in the Bering Sea and Beaufort Sea (copyright, H. Enomoto). | |
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