First-year sea ice melt pond fraction estimation from dual-polarisation C-band SAR – Part 2: Scaling in situ to Radarsat-2

Abstract. Sea ice melt pond fraction (fp), linked with lower sea ice surface albedo and increased light transmittance to the ocean, is inadequately parameterised in sea ice models due to a lack of observations. In this paper, results from a multi-scale remote-sensing program dedicated to the retrieval of level first-year sea ice (FYI) fp from dual co- and cross-polarisation C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter are detailed. Models which utilise the dominant effect of free-water melt ponds on the VV / HH (vertical transmit and vertical receive / horizontal transmit and horizontal receive) polarisation ratio at high incidence angles are tested for their ability to provide estimates of the subscale fp. Retrieved fp from noise-corrected Radarsat-2 quad-polarisation scenes are in good agreement with observations from coincident aerial survey data, with root mean square errors (RMSEs) of 0.05–0.07 obtained during intermediate and late stages of ponding. Weak model performance is attributed to the presence of wet snow and slush during initial ponding, and a synoptically driven freezing event causing ice lids to form on ponds. The HV / HH (horizontal transmit and vertical receive / horizontal transmit and horizontal receive) ratio explains a greater portion of variability in fp, compared to VV / HH, when ice lids are present. Generally low HV channel intensity suggests limited applications using dual cross-polarisation data, except with systems that have exceptionally low noise floors. Results demonstrate the overall potential of dual-polarisation SAR for standalone or complementary observations of fp for process-scale studies and improvements to model parameterisations.

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Sea ice melt pond fraction estimation from dual-polarisation C-band SAR – Part 2: Scaling in situ to Radarsat-2

The Cryosphere Discussions ◽

10.5194/tcd-8-845-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 845-885 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R. K. Scharien ◽

K. Hochheim ◽

J. Landy ◽

D. G. Barber

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Large Scale ◽

Temporal Frequency ◽

Model Performance ◽

Free Water ◽

Light Transmittance ◽

The Arctic ◽

Ice Melt ◽

Melt Pond

Abstract. Observed changes in the Arctic have motivated efforts to understand and model its components as an integrated and adaptive system at increasingly finer scales. Sea ice melt pond fraction, an important summer sea ice component affecting surface albedo and light transmittance across the ocean-sea ice–atmosphere interface, is inadequately parameterized in models due to a lack of large scale observations. In this paper, results from a multi-scale remote sensing program dedicated to the retrieval of pond fraction from satellite C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) are detailed. The study was conducted on first-year sea (FY) ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago during the summer melt period in June 2012. Approaches to retrieve the subscale FY ice pond fraction from mixed pixels in RADARSAT-2 imagery, using in situ, surface scattering theory, and image data are assessed. Each algorithm exploits the dominant effect of high dielectric free-water ponds on the VV/HH polarisation ratio (PR) at moderate to high incidence angles (about 40° and above). Algorithms are applied to four images corresponding to discrete stages of the seasonal pond evolutionary cycle, and model performance is assessed using coincident pond fraction measurements from partitioned aerial photos. A RMSE of 0.07, across a pond fraction range of 0.10 to 0.70, is achieved during intermediate and late seasonal stages. Weak model performance is attributed to wet snow (pond formation) and synoptically driven pond freezing events (all stages), though PR has utility for identification of these events when considered in time series context. Results demonstrate the potential of wide-swath, dual-polarisation, SAR for large-scale observations of pond fraction with temporal frequency suitable for process-scale studies and improvements to model parameterizations.

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First-year sea ice melt pond fraction estimation from dual-polarisation C-band SAR – Part 1: In situ observations

The Cryosphere ◽

10.5194/tc-8-2147-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 2147-2162 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

R. K. Scharien ◽

J. Landy ◽

D. G. Barber

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Climate Model ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Weather Forecast ◽

Equation Model ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

First Year ◽

Ice Melt ◽

Melt Pond

Abstract. Understanding the evolution of melt ponds on Arctic sea ice is important for climate model parameterisations, weather forecast models and process studies involving mass, energy and biogeochemical exchanges across the ocean–sea ice–atmosphere interface. A field campaign was conducted in a region of level first-year sea ice (FYI) in the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), during the summer of 2012, to examine the potential for estimating melt pond fraction (fp) from satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR). In this study, 5.5 GHz (C-band) dual co- (HH + VV – horizontal transmit and horizontal receive + vertical transmit and vertical receive) and cross-polarisation (HV + HH – horizontal transmit and vertical receive + horizontal transmit and horizontal receive) radar scatterometer measurements of melt-pond-covered FYI are combined with ice and pond properties to analyse the effects of in situ physical and morphological changes on backscatter parameters. Surface roughness statistics of ice and ponds are characterised and compared to the validity domains of the Bragg and integral equation model (IEM) scattering models. Experimental and model results are used to outline the potential and limitations of the co-polarisation ratio (VV / HH) for retrieving melt pond information, including fp, at large incidence angles (≥35°). Despite high variability in cross-polarisation ratio (HV / HH) magnitudes, increases at small incidence angles (<30°) are attributed to the formation of ice lids on ponds. Implications of the results for pond information retrievals from satellite C-, L- and P-band SARs are discussed.

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A spectral mixture analysis approach to quantify Arctic first-year sea ice melt pond fraction using QuickBird and MODIS reflectance data

Remote Sensing of Environment ◽

10.1016/j.rse.2017.09.030 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 204 ◽

pp. 704-716 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

John J. Yackel ◽

Vishnu Nandan ◽

Mallik Mahmud ◽

Randall Scharien ◽

Jason W. Kang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Spectral Mixture Analysis ◽

Analysis Approach ◽

First Year ◽

Mixture Analysis ◽

Ice Melt ◽

Melt Pond ◽

Spectral Mixture ◽

Reflectance Data

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Dimethylsulfide dynamics in first-year sea ice melt ponds in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

10.5194/bg-2017-432 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Margaux Gourdal ◽

Martine Lizotte ◽

Guillaume Massé ◽

Michel Gosselin ◽

Michael Scarratt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Canadian Arctic ◽

The Arctic ◽

First Year ◽

Canadian Arctic Archipelago ◽

Ice Melt ◽

Melt Pond ◽

Potential Source ◽

Melt Ponds ◽

Cover Up

Abstract. Melt pond formation is a natural seasonal pan-Arctic process. During the thawing season, melt ponds may cover up to 90 % of the Arctic first year sea ice (FYI) and 15 to 25 % of the multi-year sea ice (MYI). These pools of water lying at the surface of the sea-ice cover are habitats for microorganisms and represent a potential source of the biogenic gas dimethylsulfide (DMS) for the atmosphere. Here we report on the concentrations and dynamics of DMS in nine melt ponds sampled in July 2014 in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. DMS concentrations were under the detection limit (

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Inorganic carbon dynamics of melt pond-covered first year sea ice in the Canadian Arctic

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-11-7485-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 7485-7519 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

N.-X. Geilfus ◽

R. J. Galley ◽

O. Crabeck ◽

T. Papakyriakou ◽

J. Landy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

The Arctic ◽

First Year ◽

Ice Melt ◽

Melt Pond ◽

Melt Ponds ◽

Arctic Sea ◽

Melt Water

Abstract. Melt pond formation is a common feature of the spring and summer Arctic sea ice. However, the role of the melt ponds formation and the impact of the sea ice melt on both the direction and size of CO2 flux between air and sea is still unknown. Here we describe the CO2-carbonate chemistry of melting sea ice, melt ponds and the underlying seawater associated with measurement of CO2 fluxes across first year landfast sea ice in the Resolute Passage, Nunavut, in June 2012. Early in the melt season, the increase of the ice temperature and the subsequent decrease of the bulk ice salinity promote a strong decrease of the total alkalinity (TA), total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO2) and partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) within the bulk sea ice and the brine. Later on, melt pond formation affects both the bulk sea ice and the brine system. As melt ponds are formed from melted snow the in situ melt pond pCO2 is low (36 μatm). The percolation of this low pCO2 melt water into the sea ice matrix dilutes the brine resulting in a strong decrease of the in situ brine pCO2 (to 20 μatm). As melt ponds reach equilibrium with the atmosphere, their in situ pCO2 increase (up to 380 μatm) and the percolation of this high concentration pCO2 melt water increase the in situ brine pCO2 within the sea ice matrix. The low in situ pCO2 observed in brine and melt ponds results in CO2 fluxes of −0.04 to −5.4 mmol m–2 d–1. As melt ponds reach equilibrium with the atmosphere, the uptake becomes less significant. However, since melt ponds are continuously supplied by melt water their in situ pCO2 still remains low, promoting a continuous but moderate uptake of CO2 (~ −1mmol m–2 d–1). The potential uptake of atmospheric CO2 by melting sea ice during the Arctic summer has been estimated from 7 to 16 Tg of C ignoring the role of melt ponds. This additional uptake of CO2 associated to Arctic sea ice needs to be further explored and considered in the estimation of the Arctic Ocean's overall CO2 budget.

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Observations of Sea Ice Melt from Operation IceBridge Imagery

10.5194/tc-2019-288 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Nicholas C. Wright ◽

Chris M. Polashenski ◽

Scott T. McMichael ◽

Ross A. Beyer

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

First Year ◽

Ice Melt ◽

Melt Pond ◽

Ice Surface ◽

Optical Images ◽

Arctic Sea ◽

Ice Floes ◽

Multiyear Ice

Abstract. The summer albedo of Arctic sea ice is heavily dependent on the fraction and color of melt ponds that form on the ice surface. This work presents a new dataset of sea ice surface fractions along Operation IceBridge (OIB) flight tracks derived from the Digital Mapping System optical imagery set. This dataset was created by deploying version 2 of the Open Source Sea-ice Processing (OSSP) algorithm to NASA’s Advanced Supercomputing Pleiades System. These new surface fraction results are then analyzed to investigate the behavior of meltwater on first-year ice in comparison to multiyear ice. Observations herein show that first-year ice does not ubiquitously have a higher melt pond fraction than multiyear ice under the same forcing conditions, contrary to established knowledge in the sea ice community. We discover and document a larger possible spread of pond fractions on first year ice leading to both high and low pond coverage, in contrast to the uniform melt evolution that has been previously observed on multiyear ice floes. We also present a selection of optical images that captures both the typical and atypical ice types, as observed from the OIB dataset. We hope to demonstrate the power of this new dataset and to encourage future collaborative efforts to utilize the OIB data to explore the behavior of melt pond formation Arctic sea ice.

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Inorganic carbon dynamics of melt-pond-covered first-year sea ice in the Canadian Arctic

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-12-2047-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 2047-2061 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

N.-X. Geilfus ◽

R. J. Galley ◽

O. Crabeck ◽

T. Papakyriakou ◽

J. Landy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

The Arctic ◽

First Year ◽

Co2 Fluxes ◽

Ice Melt ◽

Melt Pond ◽

Melt Ponds ◽

Arctic Sea

Abstract. Melt pond formation is a common feature of spring and summer Arctic sea ice, but the role and impact of sea ice melt and pond formation on both the direction and size of CO2 fluxes between air and sea is still unknown. Here we report on the CO2–carbonate chemistry of melting sea ice, melt ponds and the underlying seawater as well as CO2 fluxes at the surface of first-year landfast sea ice in the Resolute Passage, Nunavut, in June 2012. Early in the melt season, the increase in ice temperature and the subsequent decrease in bulk ice salinity promote a strong decrease of the total alkalinity (TA), total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO2) and partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) within the bulk sea ice and the brine. As sea ice melt progresses, melt ponds form, mainly from melted snow, leading to a low in situ melt pond pCO2 (36 μatm). The percolation of this low salinity and low pCO2 meltwater into the sea ice matrix decreased the brine salinity, TA and TCO2, and lowered the in situ brine pCO2 (to 20 μatm). This initial low in situ pCO2 observed in brine and melt ponds results in air–ice CO2 fluxes ranging between −0.04 and −5.4 mmol m−2 day−1 (negative sign for fluxes from the atmosphere into the ocean). As melt ponds strive to reach pCO2 equilibrium with the atmosphere, their in situ pCO2 increases (up to 380 μatm) with time and the percolation of this relatively high concentration pCO2 meltwater increases the in situ brine pCO2 within the sea ice matrix as the melt season progresses. As the melt pond pCO2 increases, the uptake of atmospheric CO2 becomes less significant. However, since melt ponds are continuously supplied by meltwater, their in situ pCO2 remains undersaturated with respect to the atmosphere, promoting a continuous but moderate uptake of CO2 (~ −1 mmol m−2 day−1) into the ocean. Considering the Arctic seasonal sea ice extent during the melt period (90 days), we estimate an uptake of atmospheric CO2 of −10.4 Tg of C yr−1. This represents an additional uptake of CO2 associated with Arctic sea ice that needs to be further explored and considered in the estimation of the Arctic Ocean's overall CO2 budget.

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Observations of sea ice melt from Operation IceBridge imagery

The Cryosphere ◽

10.5194/tc-14-3523-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (10) ◽

pp. 3523-3536

Author(s):

Nicholas C. Wright ◽

Chris M. Polashenski ◽

Scott T. McMichael ◽

Ross A. Beyer

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

First Year ◽

Ice Melt ◽

Melt Pond ◽

Ice Surface ◽

Optical Images ◽

Arctic Sea ◽

Ice Floes ◽

Multiyear Ice

Abstract. The summer albedo of Arctic sea ice is heavily dependent on the fraction and color of melt ponds that form on the ice surface. This work presents a new dataset of sea ice surface fractions along Operation IceBridge (OIB) flight tracks derived from the Digital Mapping System optical imagery set. This dataset was created by deploying version 2 of the Open Source Sea-ice Processing (OSSP) algorithm to NASA's Advanced Supercomputing Pleiades System. These new surface fraction results are then analyzed to investigate the behavior of meltwater on first-year ice in comparison to multiyear ice. Observations herein show that first-year ice does not ubiquitously have a higher melt pond fraction than multiyear ice under the same forcing conditions, contrary to established knowledge in the sea ice community. We discover and document a larger possible spread of pond fractions on first-year ice leading to both high and low pond coverage, in contrast to the uniform melt evolution that has been previously observed on multiyear ice floes. We also present a selection of optical images that capture both the typical and atypical ice types, as observed from the OIB dataset. The derived OIB data presented here will be key to explore the behavior of melt pond formation Arctic sea ice.

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Seasonal evolution and salt/freshwater fluxes of first-year sea ice: Comparison between pack ice and landfast sea ice

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10798 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marc Oggier ◽

Hajo Eicken ◽

Robert Rember ◽

Allison Fong ◽

Dmitry V. Divine ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Ice Cores ◽

Upper Ocean ◽

First Year ◽

Ice Melt ◽

Ice Surface ◽

Freshwater Fluxes ◽

Exchange Processes ◽

Bulk Salinity ◽

Landfast Sea Ice

<p>Sea ice affects the exchange of energy and matter between the atmosphere and the ocean from local to hemispheric scales. Salt fluxes across the ice-ocean interface that drive thermohaline mixing beneath growing sea ice are important elements of upper ocean nutrient and carbon exchange. Sea-ice melt releases freshwater into the upper ocean and results in formation of melt ponds that affect gas and energy transfer across the atmosphere-ice interface. The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) provided an opportunity to follow sea-ice evolution and exchange processes over a full seasonal cycle in a rapidly changing ice cover. To this end, approximately 25 sea-ice cores were collected at 2 distinct sites, representing first-year and multi-year ice, to monitor physical, biological and geochemical processes relevant to atmosphere-ice-ocean exchange processes. Here we compare the growth and decay of first-year ice in the Central Arctic during the winter 2019-2020 to that of landfast first-year ice at Utqia&#289;vik, Alaska, from 1998 to 2016. Ice stratigraphy was similar at both sites with about 15 cm of granular ice on top of columnar ice, with a comparable growth history with a similar maximum ice thickness of 1.6-1.7 m. We aggregated the sea-ice bulk salinity and temperature profiles using a degree-day approach, and examined brine and freshwater fluxes at lower and upper interfaces of the ice, respectively. Preliminary results show lower sea-ice bulk salinity during the growth season and greater desalination at the ice surface during the melt season at the MOSAiC floe in comparison to Utqia&#289;vik.</p>

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Signature of Arctic first-year ice melt pond fraction in X-band SAR imagery

The Cryosphere ◽

10.5194/tc-11-755-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 755-771 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ane S. Fors ◽

Dmitry V. Divine ◽

Anthony P. Doulgeris ◽

Angelika H. H. Renner ◽

Sebastian Gerland

Keyword(s):

Wind Speed ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

First Year ◽

Backscatter Signal ◽

Noise Floor ◽

Ice Melt ◽

Wind Speeds ◽

Melt Pond ◽

Melt Ponds ◽

X Band

Abstract. In this paper we investigate the potential of melt pond fraction retrieval from X-band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on drifting first-year sea ice. Melt pond fractions retrieved from a helicopter-borne camera system were compared to polarimetric features extracted from four dual-polarimetric X-band SAR scenes, revealing significant relationships. The correlations were strongly dependent on wind speed and SAR incidence angle. Co-polarisation ratio was found to be the most promising SAR feature for melt pond fraction estimation at intermediate wind speeds (6. 2 m s−1), with a Spearman's correlation coefficient of 0. 46. At low wind speeds (0. 6 m s−1), this relation disappeared due to low backscatter from the melt ponds, and backscatter VV-polarisation intensity had the strongest relationship to melt pond fraction with a correlation coefficient of −0. 53. To further investigate these relations, regression fits were made both for the intermediate (R2fit = 0. 21) and low (R2fit = 0. 26) wind case, and the fits were tested on the satellite scenes in the study. The regression fits gave good estimates of mean melt pond fraction for the full satellite scenes, with less than 4 % from a similar statistics derived from analysis of low-altitude imagery captured during helicopter ice-survey flights in the study area. A smoothing window of 51 × 51 pixels gave the best reproduction of the width of the melt pond fraction distribution. A considerable part of the backscatter signal was below the noise floor at SAR incidence angles above ∼  40°, restricting the information gain from polarimetric features above this threshold. Compared to previous studies in C-band, limitations concerning wind speed and noise floor set stricter constraints on melt pond fraction retrieval in X-band. Despite this, our findings suggest new possibilities in melt pond fraction estimation from X-band SAR, opening for expanded monitoring of melt ponds during melt season in the future.

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