Tracking large tabular icebergs using the SeaWinds Ku-band microwave scatterometer

Abstract

Knowledge of iceberg locations is important for safety reasons as well as for understanding many geophysical and biological processes. Originally designed to measure wind speed and direction over the ocean, SeaWinds is a microwave scatterometer that operates at 13.4 GHz (Ku-band) on the QuikSCAT satellite. Radar measurements from SeaWinds are collected and processed on a daily basis using resolution-enhancement techniques to produce daily radar images. Because icebergs scatter microwave energy more than sea ice and sea water, icebergs are detected as high-backscatter targets surrounded by lower-backscatter regions in daily SeaWinds images. As a result, iceberg positions are determined in real-time and a time-series of iceberg positions is maintained in an Antarctic iceberg database by Brigham Young University's Microwave Earth Remote Sensing (MERS) laboratory. Since SeaWinds operates independent of both solar illumination and cloud cover and has a large daily spatial coverage, this paper demonstrates that SeaWinds is an excellent platform to detect and track large tabular icebergs. These icebergs are generally larger than 5 km and are typically characterized as a rough ice plateau above the surrounding sea water or sea ice. The number of icebergs tracked in the MERS Antarctic iceberg database is found to be generally greater than the number of icebergs tracked by the National Ice Center. The movement patterns of all icebergs detected by SeaWinds are also analyzed and 90% of icebergs are found to travel a counter-clockwise path around Antarctica and accumulate in the Weddell and Scotia Seas. Iceberg detection and tracking is demonstrated via multiple case studies that highlight icebergs C-19a and A-22a using the MERS database and through real-time operational support of the 2005, 2008, and 2009 NSF Antarctic cruises. Iceberg positions are validated by using collocated high-resolution satellite imagery and by navigating the NSF ships to physically intercept several large tabular icebergs in the Weddell and Scotia Seas.