scholarly journals Pre-melt-season sediment plume variability at Jökulsárlón, Iceland, a preliminary evaluation using in-situ spectroradiometry and satellite imagery

2016 ◽  
Vol 57 (73) ◽  
pp. 39-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Hodgkins ◽  
Robert Bryant ◽  
Eleanor Darlington ◽  
Mark Brandon

ABSTRACTHigh-latitude atmospheric warming is impacting freshwater cycling, requiring techniques for monitoring the hydrology of sparsely-gauged regions. The submarine runoff of tidewater glaciers presents a particular challenge. We evaluate the utility of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery for monitoring turbid meltwater plume variability in the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón, Iceland, for a short interval before the onset of the main melt season. Total Suspended Solids concentrations (TSS) of surface waters are related to remotely-sensed reflectance via empirical calibration between in-situ-sampled TSS and reflectance in a MODIS band 1-equivalent wavelength window. This study differs from previous ones in its application to an overturning tidewater glacier plume, rather than one derived from river runoff. The linear calibration improves on previous studies by facilitating a wider range of plume metrics than areal extent, notably pixel-by-pixel TSS values. Increasing values of minimum plume TSS over the study interval credibly represent rising overall turbidity in the lagoon as melting accumulates. Plume extent responds principally to consistently-strong offshore winds. Further work is required to determine the temporal persistence of the calibration, but remote plume observation holds promise for monitoring hydrological outputs from ungauged or ungaugeable systems.

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (16) ◽  
pp. 3569
Author(s):  
Calleja ◽  
Corbea-Pérez ◽  
Fernández ◽  
Recondo ◽  
Peón ◽  
...  

The aim of this work is to investigate whether snow albedo seasonality and trend under all sky conditions at Johnsons Glacier (Livingston Island, Antarctica) can be tracked using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow albedo daily product MOD10A1. The time span is from December 2006 to February 2015. As the MOD10A1 snow albedo product has never been used in Antarctica before, we also assess the performance for the MOD10A1 cloud mask. The motivation for this work is the need for a description of snow albedo under all sky conditions (including overcast days) using satellite data with mid-spatial resolution. In-situ albedo was filtered with a 5-day windowed moving average, while the MOD10A1 data were filtered using a maximum filter. Both in-situ and MOD10A1 data follow an exponential decay during the melting season, with a maximum decay of 0.049/0.094 day−1 (in-situ/MOD10A1) for the 2006–2007 season and a minimum of 0.016/0.016 day−1 for the 2009–2010 season. The duration of the decay varies from 85 days (2007–2008) to 167 days (2013–2014). Regarding the albedo trend, both data sets exhibit a slight increase of albedo, which may be explained by an increase of snowfall along with a decrease of snowmelt in the study area. Annual albedo increases of 0.2% and 0.7% are obtained for in-situ and MOD10A1 data, respectively, which amount to respective increases of 2% and 6% in the period 2006–2015. We conclude that MOD10A1 can be used to characterize snow albedo seasonality and trend on Livingston Island when filtered with a maximum filter.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 1999-2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Miller ◽  
Fang Wang ◽  
Ann B. Burgess ◽  
S. McKenzie Skiles ◽  
Matthew Rogers ◽  
...  

Abstract Runoff from mountain snowpack is an important freshwater supply for many parts of the world. The deposition of aeolian dust on snow decreases snow albedo and increases the absorption of solar irradiance. This absorption accelerates melting, impacting the regional hydrological cycle in terms of timing and magnitude of runoff. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Dust Radiative Forcing in Snow (MODDRFS) satellite product allows estimation of the instantaneous (at time of satellite overpass) surface radiative forcing caused by dust. While such snapshots are useful, energy balance modeling requires temporally resolved radiative forcing to represent energy fluxes to the snowpack, as modulated primarily by varying cloud cover. Here, the instantaneous MODDRFS estimate is used as a tie point to calculate temporally resolved surface radiative forcing. Dust radiative forcing scenarios were considered for 1) clear-sky conditions and 2) all-sky conditions using satellite-based cloud observations. Comparisons against in situ stations in the Rocky Mountains show that accounting for the temporally resolved all-sky solar irradiance via satellite retrievals yields a more representative time series of dust radiative effects compared to the clear-sky assumption. The modeled impact of dust on enhanced snowmelt was found to be significant, accounting for nearly 50% of the total melt at the more contaminated station sites. The algorithm is applicable to regional basins worldwide, bearing relevance to both climate process research and the operational management of water resources.


2014 ◽  
pp. 123-134
Author(s):  
Martha Lucero Bastidas Salamanca ◽  
Apolinar Figueroa Casas

La comprensión de la variabilidad climática es un tema de gran interés científico debido a que puede repercutir en las condiciones ambientales y socio-económicas de un país. Este estudio hace uso de datos satelitales para describir los eventos de precipitación ocurridos en el territorio colombiano durante el evento de La Niña 2010-2011 y registrados en estaciones meteorológicas costeras del Caribe. Se utilizaron datos de la temperatura de brillo de las nubes, medida por el Geostationary Operational Envirormental Satellite -GOES-12; datos de temperatura superficial del mar derivados de imágenes mensuales del Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer – MODIS, y datos de precipitación intisituto de dos estaciones meteorológicas costeras (Cartagena y Santa Marta). Las imágenes satelitales GOES permitieron describir el evento La Niña 2010-2011 a partir de la identificación de nubes altas y complejos convectivos de mesoescala, los cuales se asocian a elevadas precipitaciones; mientras que las imágenes MODIS evidenciaron un comportamiento oceánico opuesto entre el Caribe colombiano, que exhibió anomalías positivas, y el Pacífico Oriental Tropical, que experimentó la influencia del evento y lo reflejó en anomalías negativas. Modelos lineales empleando datos satelitales de temperatura superficial del mar, in situ de precipitación y del Índice de Oscilación del Sur, revelaron que solamente para la estación ubicada en El Rodadero (Santa Marta), la precipitación fue explicada por la temperatura superficial del mar adyacente, mientras que el IOS no resultó significativo.


2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 1545-1554 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Guindon ◽  
P.Y. Bernier ◽  
A. Beaudoin ◽  
D. Pouliot ◽  
P. Villemaire ◽  
...  

Disturbances such as fire and harvesting shape forest dynamics and must be accounted for when modelling forest properties. However, acquiring timely disturbance information for all of Canada’s large forest area has always been challenging. Therefore, we developed an approach to detect annual forest change resulting from fire, harvesting, or flooding using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery at 250 m spatial resolution across Canada and to estimate the within-pixel fractional change (FC). When this approach was applied to the period from 2000 to 2011, the accuracy of detection of burnt, harvested, or flooded areas against our validation dataset was 82%, 80%, and 85%, respectively. With FC, 77% of the area burnt and 82% of the area harvested within the validation dataset were correctly identified. The methodology was optimized to reduce the commission error but tended to omit smaller disturbances as a result. For example, the omitted area for harvest blocks greater than 80 ha was less than 14% but increased to between 38% and 50% for harvest blocks of 20 to 30 ha. Detection of burnt and harvested areas in some regions was hindered by persistent haze or cloud cover or by insect outbreaks. All resulting data layers are available as supplementary material.


2020 ◽  
Vol 61 (82) ◽  
pp. 210-226
Author(s):  
Megan O'Sadnick ◽  
Chris Petrich ◽  
Camilla Brekke ◽  
Jofrid Skarðhamar

AbstractResults examining variations in the ice extent along the Norwegian coastline based on the analysis of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images from 2001 to 2019, February through May, are presented. A total of 386 fjords and coastal areas were outlined and grouped into ten regions to assess seasonal and long-term trends in ice extent. In addition, three fjords were examined to investigate how ice extent may vary over short distances (<100 km). Of the 386 outlined, 47 fjords/coastal areas held >5 km2 of ice at least once between 2001 and 2019. Over this span of time, no statistically significant trend in ice extent is found for all ten regions; however, variations between regions and years are evident. Ice extent is assessed through comparison to three weather variables – freezing degree days (FDD), daily new snowfall and daily freshwater supply from rainfall plus snowmelt. Six out of ten regions are significantly positively correlated (p < 0.05) to FDD. In addition, ice in two regions is significantly positively correlated to daily new snowfall, and in one region negatively correlated to rainfall plus snowmelt. The importance of fjord geometry and bathymetry as well as other weather variables including wind is discussed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (199) ◽  
pp. 813-821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel McGrath ◽  
Konrad Steffen ◽  
Irina Overeem ◽  
Sebastian H. Mernild ◽  
Bent Hasholt ◽  
...  

AbstractMeltwater runoff is an important component of the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) and contributes to eustatic sea-level rise. In situ measurements of river runoff at the ˜325 outlets are nonexistent due to logistical difficulties. We develop a novel methodology using satellite observations of sediment plumes as a proxy for the onset, duration and volume of meltwater runoff from a basin of the GrIS. Sediment plumes integrate numerous poorly constrained processes, including meltwater refreezing and supra- and englacial water storage, and are formed by meltwater that exits the GrIS and enters the ocean. Plume characteristics are measured in Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS, band 1, 250 m) satellite imagery during the 2001-08 melt seasons. Plume formation and cessation in Kangerlussuaq Fjord, West Greenland, are positively correlated (r2 = 0.88, n = 5, p < 0.05; r2 = 0.93, n = 5, p < 0.05) with ablation onset and cessation at the Kangerlussuaq Transect automatic weather station S5 (490 ma.s.l., 6 km from the ice margin). Plume length is positively correlated (r2 = 0.52, n = 35, p < 0.05) with observed 4 day mean Watson River discharge throughout the 2007 and 2008 melt seasons. Plume length is used to infer instantaneous and annual cumulative Watson River discharge between 2001 and 2008. Reconstructed cumulative discharge values overestimate observed cumulative discharge values for 2007 and 2008 by 15% and 29%, respectively.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Duda ◽  
Sarah T. Bedka ◽  
Patrick Minnis ◽  
Douglas Spangenberg ◽  
Konstantin Khlopenkov ◽  
...  

Abstract. Linear contrail coverage, optical property, and radiative forcing data over the Northern Hemisphere (NH) are derived from a year (2012) of Terra and Aqua Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery, and are compared with previously published 2006 results (Duda et al., 2013; Bedka et al., 2013; Spangenberg et al., 2013) using a consistent retrieval methodology. Differences in the observed Terra-minus-Aqua screened contrail coverage and patterns in the 2012 annual-mean air traffic estimated with respect to satellite overpass time suggest that most contrails detected by the contrail detection algorithm (CDA) form approximately 2 h before overpass time. The 2012 screened NH contrail coverage (Mask B) shows a relative 3 % increase (from 0.136 % to 0.140 %) compared to 2006 data for Terra and increased by almost 7 % (0.134 % to 0.143 %) for Aqua. A new post-processing algorithm added to the contrail mask processing estimated that the total contrail cirrus coverage visible in the MODIS imagery may be three to four times larger than the linear contrail coverage detected by the CDA. This estimate is similar in magnitude to the spreading factor estimated by Minnis et al. (2013). Contrail property retrievals of the 2012 data indicate that both contrail optical depth and contrail effective diameter decreased approximately 10 % between 2006 and 2012. The decreases may be attributed to better background cloudiness characterization, changes in the waypoint screening, or changes in contrail temperature. The total mean contrail radiative forcing (TCRF) for all 2012 Terra observations were −6.3, 14.3, and 8.0 mW m−2 for the shortwave (SWCRF), longwave (LWCRF), and net forcings, respectively. These values are approximately 20 % less than the corresponding 2006 Terra estimates. The decline in TCRF results from the decrease in normalized CRF, partially offset by the 3 % increase in overall contrail coverage in 2012. The TCRFs for 2012 Aqua are similar, −6.4, 15.5, and 9.0 mW m−2 for shortwave, longwave, and net radiative forcing. The strong correlation between the relative changes in both total SWCRF and LWCRF between 2006 and 2012 and the corresponding relative changes in screened contrail coverage over each air traffic region suggests that regional changes in TCRF from year to year are dominated by interannual changes in contrail coverage over each area.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
Igor Esau ◽  
Victoria Miles ◽  
Andrey Soromotin ◽  
Oleg Sizov ◽  
Mikhail Varentsov ◽  
...  

Abstract. Persistent warm urban temperature anomalies – urban heat islands (UHIs) – significantly enhance already amplified climate warming in the Arctic. Vulnerability of urban infrastructure in the Arctic cities urges a region-wide study of the UHI intensity and its attribution to UHI drivers. This study presents an overview of the surface and atmospheric UHIs in all circum-Arctic settlements (118 in total) with the population larger than 3000 inhabitants. The surface UHI (SUHI) is obtained from the land surface temperature (LST) data products of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) archive over 2000–2016. The atmospheric UHI is obtained from screen-level temperature provided by the Urban Heat Island Arctic Research Campaign (UHIARC) observational network over 2015–2018. Several other UHI studies are included for comparisons. The analysis reveals strong and persistent UHI during both summer and winter seasons. The annual mean surface UHI magnitudes vary from −0.6 ∘C (Hammerfest) to 4.3 ∘C (Murmansk). Thus, the observed UHI is likely an important climatic factor that must be included in future adjustment of urban construction, safety, and environmental quality codes.


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