Abstract
Abstract. Pairs of consecutive C-band synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) images are routinely used for sea ice motion estimation. The L-band radar has a fundamentally different character, as its longer wavelength penetrates deeper into sea ice. L-band SAR provides information on the seasonal sea ice inner structure in addition to the surface roughness that dominates C-band images. This is especially useful in the Baltic Sea, which lacks multiyear ice and icebergs, known to be confusing targets for L-band sea ice classification. In this work, L-band SAR images are investigated for sea ice motion estimation using the well-established maximal cross-correlation (MCC) approach. This work provides the first comparison of L-band and C-band SAR images for the purpose of motion estimation. The cross-correlation calculations are hardware accelerated using new OpenCL-based source code, which is made available through the author's web site. It is found that L-band images are preferable for motion estimation over C-band images. It is also shown that motion estimation is possible between a C-band and an L-band image using the maximal cross-correlation technique.
Highlights
The Baltic Sea gets an ice cover every winter, covering 45 % of its area on an average year
Pairs of consecutive C-band synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) images are routinely used for sea ice motion estimation
L-band SAR images are investigated for sea ice motion estimation using the well-established maximal crosscorrelation (MCC) approach
Summary
The Baltic Sea gets an ice cover every winter, covering 45 % of its area on an average year. This work will compare C-band (38–75 mm wavelength) with L-band (150–300 mm wavelength) for sea ice motion estimation. The method only works for image pairs typically less than 3 days apart, naturally depending on the rate of the ice drift and deformation. If observations from multiple satellites are used, image pairs mere hours apart are easier to find, but the benefit comes with the added difficulty of comparing images of fundamentally different character. This work will examine the idea of calculating sea ice motion using two pictures from different instruments, namely EnviSAT ASAR (56.2 mm wavelength), RadarSAT-2 SAR (55.5 mm wavelength) and ALOS PALSAR (236 mm wavelength). J. Lehtiranta et al.: Comparing C- and L-band SAR images for sea ice motion estimation
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