Impact of Snow Products on Sea Ice Thickness Retrieval from Satellite Altimetry
Abstract
Retrieval of sea ice depth from satellites relies on knowledge of snow depth in the conversion of freeboard measurements to sea ice thickness. This remains the largest source of uncertainty in calculating sea ice thickness. In order to go beyond the use of a seasonal snow climatology in this radar processing chain we have developed as part of an ESA project several novel snow on sea ice pan-Arctic products, with the ultimate goal to resolve for the first time inter-annual and seasonal snow variability. Our products are inter-compared and calibrated with each other to guarantee multi-decadal continuity. In addition, we validate each snow product against independent data (such as ice mass balance buoys, field measurements and Operation IceBridge). Quality assessment and uncertainty estimates are provided at a gridded level and as a function of sea ice characteristics such as sea ice age, sea ice type and surface temperature. We investigate the impact of using these spatially and temporally varying snow products on current satellite estimates of sea ice thickness (as oppose to using a climatology) and provide an update on sea ice thickness uncertainties. Furthermore, we quantify the impact of different reanalysis and physical assumptions made in modelling studies on overall sea ice thickness. These results will in turn inform and benefit from model studies that are run in parallel and where the impact of the snow cover on the physical processes of sea ice (growth, melt pond formation, form drag) can be identified.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.C21A..02B
- Keywords:
-
- 0726 Ice sheets;
- CRYOSPHEREDE: 0728 Ice shelves;
- CRYOSPHEREDE: 0750 Sea ice;
- CRYOSPHEREDE: 0758 Remote sensing;
- CRYOSPHERE