MIZEX (Marginal Ice Zone Experiment) 1987 SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) Data Summary

摘要

The 1987 Winter MIZEX in the Greenland and Barents Seas, combined observation systems from both remote sensing and in-situ data collection to provide an integrated approach to the study of winter marginal ice zone conditions. Favorable weather permitted 18 consecutive days of SAR coverage and field operations with real-time imagery downlinked to the ships in the field. Two INTERA SAR equipped aircrafts were deployed to collect ice edge imagery. Throughout the experiment, real-time data was reviewed by scientists at Svalbard and on board the M/V POLAR CIRCLE. Observations made from this imagery enabled them to select areas of special interest for intensive study and sea truthing, and to plan successive SAR missions. Preliminary analysis indicates SAR imagery: 1) permits differentiation between first year ice, multi-year ice, and many stages of young ice; 2) can be used to detect surface expressions of eddies both in the open ocean and within the ice pack; 3) permits the tracking of ocean waves both outside and propagating approximately 100 km into the ice pack; 4) shows internal wave features beneath the ice pack; and 5) mapped an ocean polar front in the Barents Sea. (edc)