Sea ice density estimation in the Bohai Sea using the hyperspectral remote sensing technology

Abstract

Sea ice density is one of the significant physical properties of sea ice and the input parameters in the estimation of the engineering mechanical strength and aerodynamic drag coefficients; also it is an important indicator of the ice age. The sea ice in the Bohai Sea is a solid, liquid and gas-phase mixture composed of pure ice, brine pockets and bubbles, the density of which is mainly affected by the amount of brine pockets and bubbles. The more the contained brine pockets, the greater the sea ice density; the more the contained bubbles, the smaller the sea ice density. The reflectance spectrum in 350~2500 nm and density of sea ice of different thickness and ages were measured in the Liaodong Bay of the Bohai Sea during the glacial maximum in the winter of 2012-2013. According to the measured sea ice density and reflectance spectrum, the characteristic bands that can reflect the sea ice density variation were found, and the sea ice density spectrum index (SIDSI) of the sea ice in the Bohai Sea was constructed. The inversion model of sea ice density in the Bohai Sea which refers to the layer from surface to the depth of penetration by the light was proposed at last. The sea ice density in the Bohai Sea was estimated using the proposed model from Hyperion image which is a hyperspectral image. The results show that the error of the sea ice density inversion model is about 0.0004 g•cm^-3. The sea ice density can be estimated through hyperspectral remote sensing images, which provide the data support to the related marine science research and application.