scholarly journals Spaceborne infrared imagery for early detection of Weddell Polynya opening

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 3401-3421
Author(s):  
Céline Heuzé ◽  
Lu Zhou ◽  
Martin Mohrmann ◽  
Adriano Lemos
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Brightness Temperature ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Ice Concentration ◽  
Large Opening ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Infrared Brightness

Abstract. Knowing when sea ice will open is crucial, notably for scientific deployments. This was particularly obvious when the Weddell Polynya, a large opening in the winter Southern Ocean sea ice, unexpectedly re-appeared in 2016. As no precursor had been detected, observations were limited to chance autonomous sensors, and the exact cause of the opening could not be determined accurately. We investigate here whether the signature of the vertical ocean motions or that of the leads, which ultimately re-open the polynya, are detectable in spaceborne infrared temperature before the polynya opens. From the full historical sea ice concentration record, we find 30 polynyas starting from 1980. Then, using the full time series of the spaceborne infrared Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, we determine that these events can be detected in the 2 weeks before the polynya opens as a reduction in the variance of the data. For the three commonly used infrared brightness temperature bands, the 15 d sum and 15 d standard deviation of their area median and maximum are systematically lower than the climatology when a polynya will open. Moreover, by comparing the infrared brightness temperature to atmospheric reanalysis, hydrographic mooring data, and autonomous profilers, we find that temporal oscillations in one band and the decrease in the difference between bands may be used as proxies for upwelling of warm water and presence of leads, respectively, albeit with caution. Therefore, although infrared data are strongly limited by their horizontal resolution and sensitivity to clouds, they could be used for studying ocean or atmosphere preconditioning of polynyas in the historical record.

scholarly journals Spaceborne infrared imagery for early detection and cause of Weddell Polynya openings

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Heuzé ◽  
Adriano Lemos
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Brightness Temperature ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Large Hole ◽  
Ice Concentration ◽  
Radar Imagery ◽  
Concentration Threshold

Abstract. When will sea ice open is a crucial information for navigation and scientific deployments. This became painfully obvious when the Weddell Polynya, a large hole in the winter Southern Ocean sea ice, unexpectedly re-opened in 2016 for the first time in forty years. With no early warning, observations were limited to chance autonomous sensors, so the much-debated cause of the opening still cannot be determined accurately. We aim here to create such an early warning system. From the full historical sea ice concentration record, we find in fact 30 polynyas since 1980. Then, using the full time series of the spaceborne infrared Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, we determine that these events can be detected in the two weeks before the polynya opens. Area-average median brightness temperature larger than 253 K in all three bands and area-maximum larger than 269 K along with a footprint at least larger than 4000 km2 successfully forecasts the polynyas and does not return any false positive. Or rather, it returned false positives that were in fact events that the sea ice concentration threshold had missed. Moreover, we find temporal oscillations in brightness temperature that could indicate upwelling of warm water, but also changes of sign in T45 (band 4 – band 5) which could indicate a lead. We hence combine the spaceborne infrared data with atmospheric reanalysis, hydrographic mooring data and Sentinel-1 radar imagery and find that all events, including the 2017 Weddell Polynya, are caused by both atmospheric divergence and oceanic upwelling. That is, the debate is closed: both parties are correct; the Weddell Polynya is a hybrid.

scholarly journals Version 2 of the EUMETSAT OSI SAF and ESA CCI Sea Ice Concentration Climate Data Records

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Lavergne ◽  
Atle Macdonald Sørensen ◽  
Stefan Kern ◽  
Rasmus Tonboe ◽  
Dirk Notz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Grid Point ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Ice Concentration

Abstract. We introduce the OSI-450, the SICCI-25km and the SICCI-50km climate data records of gridded global sea-ice concentration. These three records are derived from passive microwave satellite data and offer three distinct advantages compared to existing records: First, all three records provide quantitative information on uncertainty and possibly applied filtering at every grid point and every time step. Second, they are based on dynamic tie points, which capture the time evolution of surface characteristics of the ice cover and accommodate potential calibration differences between satellite missions. Third, they are produced in the context of sustained services offering committed extension, documentation, traceability, and user support. The three records differ in the underlying satellite data (SMMR & SSM/I & SSMIS or AMSR-E & AMSR2), in the imaging frequency channels (37 GHz and either 6 GHz or 19 GHz), in their horizontal resolution (25 km or 50 km) and in the time period they cover. We introduce the underlying algorithms and provide an initial evaluation. We find that all three records compare well with independent estimates of sea-ice concentration both in regions with very high sea-ice concentration and in regions with very low sea-ice concentration. We hence trust that these records will prove helpful for a better understanding of the evolution of the Earth's sea-ice cover.

scholarly journals Version 2 of the EUMETSAT OSI SAF and ESA CCI sea-ice concentration climate data records

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Lavergne ◽  
Atle Macdonald Sørensen ◽  
Stefan Kern ◽  
Rasmus Tonboe ◽  
Dirk Notz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Grid Point ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Ice Concentration

Abstract. We introduce the OSI-450, the SICCI-25km and the SICCI-50km climate data records of gridded global sea-ice concentration. These three records are derived from passive microwave satellite data and offer three distinct advantages compared to existing records: first, all three records provide quantitative information on uncertainty and possibly applied filtering at every grid point and every time step. Second, they are based on dynamic tie points, which capture the time evolution of surface characteristics of the ice cover and accommodate potential calibration differences between satellite missions. Third, they are produced in the context of sustained services offering committed extension, documentation, traceability, and user support. The three records differ in the underlying satellite data (SMMR & SSM/I & SSMIS or AMSR-E & AMSR2), in the imaging frequency channels (37 GHz and either 6 or 19 GHz), in their horizontal resolution (25 or 50 km), and in the time period they cover. We introduce the underlying algorithms and provide an evaluation. We find that all three records compare well with independent estimates of sea-ice concentration both in regions with very high sea-ice concentration and in regions with very low sea-ice concentration. We hence trust that these records will prove helpful for a better understanding of the evolution of the Earth's sea-ice cover.

scholarly journals Improving Arctic sea ice edge forecasts by assimilating high horizontal resolution sea ice concentration data into the US Navy's ice forecast systems

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1735-1745 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. G. Posey ◽  
E. J. Metzger ◽  
A. J. Wallcraft ◽  
D. A. Hebert ◽  
R. A. Allard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Forecast System ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
The Us ◽  
Ice Concentration ◽  
Edge Location ◽  
High Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Ice Edge

Abstract. This study presents the improvement in ice edge error within the US Navy's operational sea ice forecast systems gained by assimilating high horizontal resolution satellite-derived ice concentration products. Since the late 1980's, the ice forecast systems have assimilated near real-time sea ice concentration derived from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSMI and then SSMIS). The resolution of the satellite-derived product was approximately the same as the previous operational ice forecast system (25 km). As the sea ice forecast model resolution increased over time, the need for higher horizontal resolution observational data grew. In 2013, a new Navy sea ice forecast system (Arctic Cap Nowcast/Forecast System – ACNFS) went into operations with a horizontal resolution of ~ 3.5 km at the North Pole. A method of blending ice concentration observations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR2) along with a sea ice mask produced by the National Ice Center (NIC) has been developed, resulting in an ice concentration product with very high spatial resolution. In this study, ACNFS was initialized with this newly developed high resolution blended ice concentration product. The daily ice edge locations from model hindcast simulations were compared against independent observed ice edge locations. ACNFS initialized using the high resolution blended ice concentration data product decreased predicted ice edge location error compared to the operational system that only assimilated SSMIS data. A second evaluation assimilating the new blended sea ice concentration product into the pre-operational Navy Global Ocean Forecast System 3.1 also showed a substantial improvement in ice edge location over a system using the SSMIS sea ice concentration product alone. This paper describes the technique used to create the blended sea ice concentration product and the significant improvements in ice edge forecasting in both of the Navy's sea ice forecasting systems.

scholarly journals Canadian Snow and Sea Ice: Trends (1981–2015) and Projections (2020–2050)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Mudryk ◽  
Chris Derksen ◽  
Stephen Howell ◽  
Fred Laliberté ◽  
Chad Thackeray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Snow Cover Fraction ◽  
Ice Concentration

Abstract. The Canadian Sea Ice and Snow Evolution Network (CanSISE) is a climate research network focused on developing and applying state of the art observational data to advance dynamical prediction, projections, and understanding of seasonal snow cover and sea ice in Canada and the circumpolar Arctic. Here, we present an assessment from the CanSISE network on trends in the historical record of snow cover (fraction, water equivalent) and sea ice (area, concentration, type, and thickness) across Canada. We also assess projected changes in snow cover and sea ice likely to occur by mid-century, as simulated by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) suite of earth system models. The historical datasets show that the fraction of Canadian land and marine areas covered by snow and ice is decreasing over time, with seasonal and regional variability in the trends consistent with regional differences in surface temperature trends. In particular, summer sea ice cover has decreased significantly across nearly all Canadian marine regions, and the rate of multiyear ice loss in the Beaufort Sea and Canadian Arctic Archipelago has nearly doubled over the last eight years. The multimodel consensus over the 2020–2050 period shows reductions in fall and spring snow cover fraction and sea ice concentration of 5–10 % per decade (or 15–30 % in total), with similar reductions in winter sea ice concentration in both Hudson Bay and eastern Canadian waters. Peak pre-melt terrestrial snow water equivalent reductions of up to 10 % per decade (30 % in total) are projected across southern Canada.

scholarly journals Canadian snow and sea ice: historical trends and projections

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1157-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence R. Mudryk ◽  
Chris Derksen ◽  
Stephen Howell ◽  
Fred Laliberté ◽  
Chad Thackeray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Snow Cover Fraction ◽  
Ice Concentration

Abstract. The Canadian Sea Ice and Snow Evolution (CanSISE) Network is a climate research network focused on developing and applying state of the art observational data to advance dynamical prediction, projections, and understanding of seasonal snow cover and sea ice in Canada and the circumpolar Arctic. Here, we present an assessment from the CanSISE Network on trends in the historical record of snow cover (fraction, water equivalent) and sea ice (area, concentration, type, and thickness) across Canada. We also assess projected changes in snow cover and sea ice likely to occur by mid-century, as simulated by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) suite of Earth system models. The historical datasets show that the fraction of Canadian land and marine areas covered by snow and ice is decreasing over time, with seasonal and regional variability in the trends consistent with regional differences in surface temperature trends. In particular, summer sea ice cover has decreased significantly across nearly all Canadian marine regions, and the rate of multi-year ice loss in the Beaufort Sea and Canadian Arctic Archipelago has nearly doubled over the last 8 years. The multi-model consensus over the 2020–2050 period shows reductions in fall and spring snow cover fraction and sea ice concentration of 5–10 % per decade (or 15–30 % in total), with similar reductions in winter sea ice concentration in both Hudson Bay and eastern Canadian waters. Peak pre-melt terrestrial snow water equivalent reductions of up to 10 % per decade (30 % in total) are projected across southern Canada.

scholarly journals Assimilating high horizontal resolution sea ice concentration data into the US Navy's ice forecast systems: Arctic Cap Nowcast/Forecast System (ACNFS) and the Global Ocean Forecast System (GOFS 3.1)

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 2339-2365 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. G. Posey ◽  
E. J. Metzger ◽  
A. J. Wallcraft ◽  
D. A. Hebert ◽  
R. A. Allard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Forecast System ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
The Us ◽  
Ice Concentration ◽  
Edge Location ◽  
Ice Edge

Abstract. This study presents the improvement in the US Navy's operational sea ice forecast systems gained by assimilating high horizontal resolution satellite-derived ice concentration products. Since the late 1980's, the ice forecast systems have assimilated near real-time sea ice concentration derived from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSMI and then SSMIS). The resolution of the satellite-derived product was approximately the same as the previous operational ice forecast system (25 km). As the sea ice forecast model resolution increased over time, the need for higher horizontal resolution observational data grew. In 2013, a new Navy sea ice forecast system (Arctic Cap Nowcast/Forecast System – ACNFS) went into operations with a horizontal resolution of ~3.5 km at the North Pole. A method of blending ice concentration observations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR2) along with a sea ice mask produced by the National Ice Center (NIC) has been developed resulting in an ice concentration product with very high spatial resolution. In this study, ACNFS was initialized with this newly developed high resolution blended ice concentration product. The daily ice edge locations from model hindcast simulations were compared against independent observed ice edge locations. ACNFS initialized using the high resolution blended ice concentration data product decreased predicted ice edge location error compared to the operational system that only assimilated SSMIS data. A second evaluation assimilating the new blended sea ice concentration product into the pre-operational Navy Global Ocean Forecast System 3.1 also showed a substantial improvement in ice edge location over a system using the SSMIS sea ice concentration product alone. This paper describes the technique used to create the blended sea ice concentration product and the significant improvements to both of the Navy's sea ice forecasting systems.

scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Variability of Minimum Brightness Temperature at the 6.925 GHz Band of AMSR2 for the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2122
Author(s):  
Young-Joo Kwon ◽  
Sungwook Hong ◽  
Jeong-Won Park ◽  
Seung Hee Kim ◽  
Jong-Min Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Brightness Temperature ◽  
Seasonal Variability ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ice Concentration

The minimum brightness temperature (mBT) of seawater in the polar region is an important parameter in algorithms for determining sea ice concentration or snow depth. To estimate the mBT of seawater at 6.925 GHz for the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans and to find their physical characteristics, we collected brightness temperature and sea ice concentration data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) for eight years from 2012 to 2020. The estimated mBT shows constant annual values, but we found a significant difference in the seasonal variability between the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. We calculated the mBT with the radiative transfer model parameterized by sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface wind speed (SSW), and integrated water vapor (IWV) and compared them with our observations. The estimated mBT represents the modeled mBT emitted from seawater under conditions of 2–5 m/s SSW and SST below 0 °C, except in the Arctic summer. The exceptional summer mBT in the Arctic Ocean was related to unusually high SST. We found evidence of Arctic amplification in the seasonal variability of Arctic mBT.

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