Passive microwave algorithms for sea ice concentration: A comparison of two techniques

Abstract

The most comprehensive large-scale characterization of the global sea ice cover so far has been provided by satellite passive microwave data. Accurate retrieval of ice concentrations from these data is important because of the sensitivity of surface flux (e.g., heat, salt, and water) calculations to small changes in the amount of open water (leads and polynyas) within the polar ice packs. Two algorithms that have been used for deriving ice concentrations from multichannel data are compared. One is the NASA Team algorithm and the other is the Bootstrap algorithm, both of which were developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The two algorithms use different channel combinations, reference brightness temperatures, weather filters, and techniques. Analyses are made to evaluate the sensitivity of algorithm results to variations of emissivity and temperature with space and time. To assess the difference in the performance of the two algorithms, analyses were performed with data from both hemispheres and for all seasons. The results show only small differences in the central Arctic in winter but larger disagreements in the seasonal regions and in summer. In some areas in the Antarctic, the Bootstrap technique shows ice concentrations higher than those of the Team algorithm by as much as 25%; whereas, in other areas, it shows ice concentrations lower by as much as 30%. The differences in the results are caused by temperature effects, emissivity effects, and tie point differences. The Team and the Bootstrap results were compared with available Landsat, advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. AVHRR, Landsat, and SAR data sets all yield higher concentrations than the passive microwave algorithms. Inconsistencies among results suggest the need for further validation studies.