Thin Area Research Articles

Arctic sea ice thickness retrievals from CryoSat-2: seasonal and interannual comparisons of three different products

ABSTRACT As a fundamental climate state variable, sea ice thickness (SIT) has exhibited a declining trend over the past five decades. Here, we present a quantitative comparison of three CryoSat-2 (CS-2) SIT products from the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (AWI), the National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC), and the European Space Agency (ESA) during the growth season (October to April) from 2010 to 2018 with Operation IceBridge (OIB) data. The results show that the NSIDC SIT product is the closest to the OIB SIT, with ESA SIT exhibiting the highest bias. During each growth season, the SIT differences between AWI and NSIDC gradually decrease, while such differences between ESA and NSIDC increase for first-year ice (FYI) and decrease then increase for multiyear ice (MYI). The difference between ESA and NSIDC is larger than that between AWI and NSIDC. Moreover, the rather large differences between ESA and NSIDC are mainly located in thin ice areas. Consistent to SIT comparative results, sea ice freeboard for ESA is higher than that for OIB, AWI and NSIDC, especially FYI freeboard. Sea ice freeboard for NSIDC is the closest to that for OIB. The comparative results indicate that the sources of the differences in SIT between the products mainly originate from the sea ice density and freeboard retrieval methods. The choices of different waveform retrackers and threshold assignments significantly influence the MYI freeboard retrievals due to the relatively thick snow depth and high surface roughness over MYI.

Content and person effects in media research: Studying differences in cognitive, emotional, and arousal responses to media content

ABSTRACT Cognitive, emotional, and arousal responses to media content stem from two sources of variation: differences in content and differences between individuals. Although the first source of variation (content effects) has been well-studied, individual differences (person effects) in responses to media are investigated much less within communication science. To help build this comparatively thin area of scholarship, this study investigated how four theoretically relevant variables (need for cognition, affective empathy, sensation seeking, and sensory processing sensitivity) affected responses to positively and negatively valenced media entertainment. In a within-subjects design, 243 youth aged 7–15 years (49.4% female) responded to a positive and negative film clip using both self-reported and physiological measures (heart rate and skin conductance), while parents reported on individual differences. Multilevel analysis was used to distinguish between media content effects and individual differences in responses. Results showed that more variation in responses was due to differences between participants than to differences between stimuli. However, need for cognition, affective empathy, sensation seeking, and sensory processing sensitivity did not significantly explain this between-participant variation in responses. Several conceptual and methodological take-aways are offered to advance our understanding of the relationships between stable individual differences and state responses to media.

Characteristics of kyphotic vertebrae in the cultured yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata

Vertebral deformities, including kyphosis, of the cultured yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata resulted in a decrease in product value, and consequently economic loss for fish farmers. Hence, in order to resolve this problem, it is important to examine the characteristics of kyphotic vertebrae in fish. In this study, we focused on the comparison between kyphotic and non-kyphotic two-year old yellowtail. We analyzed the appearance of the caudal vertebrae by X-ray image analysis. The strength of the vertebrae, bone density and gonad development were analyzed. Moreover, the muscles were analyzed for protein, fat, moisture, and ash content. A decrease in vertebrae strength and vertebrae bone density, thinning of compact bone, and an increase in bone porosity relative to the total spongy bone area of vertebrae were observed in kyphotic fish. However, there is no difference in weights, and there is no effect on the fleshy substance component of muscles. Histological observation of gonad suggested that spermatogenesis progressed in kyphotic fish. Our study implies that a thin compact bone area and an increase in bone porosity caused low bone strength and density, and weak vertebrae in kyphotic fish.

Observed spatial-temporal changes in the autumn navigability of the Arctic Northeast Route from 2010 to 2017

Recently, the Arctic Northeast Route (ANR), an important shipping route connecting Asia and Europe, has become more and more navigable because of the accelerating melt of sea ice in the Arctic. The exploitation of the ANR could shorten the navigational distances from North Asia to Northwestern Europe by 40% (about 2500 nautical miles) and reduce one-third (about 10 days) of the time required for maritime transport by the Royal Road, which can help to save lots of transport costs and bring large environmental benefits. It’s very important and urgent to accurately understand the changes in the navigability of the ANR for the development of the route. However, due to the lack of high-quality observed dataset, there are very few observation-based studies. Some model-based studies cannot effectively reflect the real changes in the navigability of the ANR, due to the varying degrees of the data quality issues. In this study, we applied the daily sea ice concentration product provided by the NSIDC and the reconstructed daily SMOS sea ice thickness product into the Arctic Transportation Accessibility Model (ATAM) from the Arctic Ice Regime Shipping System (AIRSS) to assess and map the daily navigation risks for open water vessels in the ANR from 2010–2017 and further analyze the spatial and temporal changes of the Autumn navigability of the route during the eight years. Assuming the navigability of a specific ice regime is affected by the sea ice conditions and the ice-breaking ability of the vessels, the ATAM model can quantify the navigability of a specific ice regime for seven different vessel types. Since the SMOS ice thickness product is more reliable in thin ice area (lower than 0.5 m), we only focus on the navigability changes of the ANR for open water vessels in this study. We found that, although the end of shipping season for open water vessels across the ANR has extended to the day of 297±4 (October 24th) since 2010 (excluding 2013), there is no significant trend in the navigability of the ANR for open water vessels in the last 8 years. Further analysis of the spatial distribution map of the navigation risk for open water vessels at the end of shipping season in different years shows that the navigability of the ANR mainly affected by the ice regime around the Eastern Siberian Sea, the Novosibirsk Islands and the Severnaya Zemlya Islands. In most years, it’s the earlier frozen ice over the three regions leading to the end of the entire ANR, in the case that most other areas are still safely navigable. We also performed detailed analysis and found that there are significant differences in the navigability changes in the three key straits for open water vessels over the ANR. The Long strait shows great inter-annual variations in the navigability, but has limit impact on the navigability of the entire route because of its late ending of the shipping season. The Sannikov Strait shows the fastest decline, but small inter-annual variations in the navigability. It is also the earliest one that ending the shipping season, and therefore has a great impact on the long-term trend of the navigability of the ANR. The intra- and inter-annual changes in the navigability of the Vlikitsky Strait are very complex. It always fluctuates dramatically, and thus has great impact on the short-term navigability of the entire ANR. In view of the complexity of the change in the ANR navigability, observed high-quality, near real-time sea ice datasets are very important for the quantification of navigation risk in the ASR.

THIN ICE AREA EXTRACTION IN THE SEASONAL SEA ICE ZONES OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE USING ASMR2 DATA

Abstract. Sea ice has an important role of reflecting the solar radiation back into space. In addition, the heat flux of ice in thin ice areas is strongly affected by the ice thickness difference. Therefore, ice thickness is one of the most important parameters of sea ice. In our previous study, the authors have developed a thin ice area extraction algorithm using passive microwave radiometer AMSR2 for the Sea of Okhotsk. The basic idea of the algorithm is to use the brightness temperature scatter plots of AMSR2 19 GHz polarization on difference (V-H) vs 19 GHz V polarization. The algorithm was also applicable to the Bering Sea, and could extract most of the thin n ice areas. However, two problems have become clear. One was that some of the thin ice areas were not well extracted, and the other was that some of the consolidated ice were mis-extracted as thin ice areas. In this study, the authors have improved the thin ice area extraction algorithm to solve these problems. By adjusting the parameters of the algorithm applied to the brightness temperature scatter plots of AMSR2 19 GHz polarization difference (V-H) vs 19 GHz V polarization, most of the thin ice areas were also well extracted in the Bering Sea. The authors also introduced an equation using the brightness temperatures difference of 89GHz vertical and horizontal polarization to reject the thin ice area misextracted over consolidated ice. By applying the above two methods to AMSR2 data, most of the thin ice areas in the Bering Sea were well extracted. The algorithm was also applied to the Gulf of St. Lawrence with good result. The thin ice area extracted data are planed to be approved by JAXA as a AMSR2 research product.

Ellipsometry of human tears

PurposeThe outer surface layer of tears is presumably composed of lipid. The thickness of this layer is considered critical to retard evaporation. Prior thickness measurements differ widely. Advances in ellipsometry have availed more precise and accurate measurements for thin films. The range in thickness of the surface layer of tears was studied by ellipsometry to uncover the source of prior discrepancies. MethodsTear surface layers of normal and dry eye subjects were measured by in-vitro ellipsometry. Lateral and Z resolutions of ∼1 μm and 0.1 nm, were achieved respectively. Thicknesses were derived from matrices and a Levenberg–Marquardt multivariate regression algorithm to Fresnel equations for multi-layered films. ResultsEllipsometric measurements of pooled and individual human tears in-vitro revealed a larger overall range (0–500 nm) of surface film thicknesses than previously reported by any one study. Each sample showed thin areas (0–2.6 nm) with interspersed thicker regions (∼200–500 nm). Repeat measurements of a single donor collected at weekly intervals showed a broad range of surface thicknesses within and between samples. Thickness measurements from a dry eye subject overlapped that of normal subjects. ConclusionThe data show that published disparity in surface film thickness may be attributable to limitations of prior methodologies. The range and overlap of surface film thicknesses challenge less rigorous methodologies that claim to segregate normal and dry eye.

Application of Casting Simulation in Failure Analysis of Impeller

Commercial programs using finite element analysis (FEA) have been developed for casting design process. However, their applications have been limited mostly during the casting design stage. This paper explores the possibility of using casting design software for failure analysis. An impeller was failed during services by impact load. The fracture occurred at the thin shroud area of the impeller and showed brittle appearance. Hardness test shows differences of hardness number between thin area (shrouds) and thick area at the impeller, resulted from microstructure differences at the impeller. Shrouds area contained high percentage of graphite (type B) and several undercooled phases (type D graphite) which is typical result for high cooling rate solidification. This microstructure reduced the mechanical properties. SEM examination shows transgranular fracture which is typical for brittle fracture mechanism and reveals higher graphite content at shrouds. Accumulation of titanium, calcium and silicon at the center of graphite was detected using EDAX. FEA simulation using Z-CAST confirms the development of microstructure differences which are substantially affected by casting designs and solidification characteristics.

Micro-nano scale imaging and the effect of annealing on the perpendicular structure of electrical-induced VO2 phase transition

It was research hotspot that how to lower the threshold switching voltage (Vth), especially for the perpendicular structure of electrical-induced VO2 insulator-metal phase transition (MIT). This structure can reduce the Vth to the orders of 10−1 V. In micro-nano scale, combined with results of resistance change versus temperature, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and conductive atomic force microscope, we had confirmed that V3+ was an important factor for electrical-induced VO2 thin MIT. On the one hand, joule heating produced by conductive V3+ region induced the surrounding VO2 region phase transition. On the other hand, with the annealing time increased from 0 min to 2 min at 470 °C in H2/N2 mixture gases, V3+ contents increased, thin film surface conductive areas increased, thin film resistance decreased, and finally resulted in threshold switching voltage decreased. Our experimental results were consistent with theory analysis. However, when the annealing time was too long (≥3 min), VO2 thin film threshold switching behavior disappeared, and current was linearly increased with voltage.

Drastic Improvement of 1D-CdS Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Rate by Integrating with NiFe Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets Synthesized by Liquid-Phase Pulsed-Laser Ablation

Solar-driven semiconductor-based molecular hydrogen production is an ideal protocol for converting abundant solar energy to green fuel. However, this process suffers from costly semiconductor nanostructures, low efficiency, and poor stability. Here, we design a noble-metal-free photocatalyst, CdS-NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocomposite, which is synthesized using the liquid-phase pulsed-laser ablation and hydrothermal method. The nanocomposite has a unique morphology of 2D-NiFe LDH nanosheets on 1D-CdS nanorods. The interfacial contact of heterostructures allows the efficient carrier transport and migration due to the appropriate potentials, which greatly reduce the recombination of carriers. It also provides a significant number of catalytically active sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction due to its thin and flexible nature and high specific surface area. The CdS/NiFe nanocomposite exhibits a hydrogen evolution rate of 72 mmol g–1 h–1, which is higher than reported nanocomposites of CdS-ba...

High Selectivity Gas Separation by Interfacial Diffusion Membranes

AbstractA new generation of inorganic/organic polymeric interfacial diffusion membranes is presented that have unprecedented combinations of high selectivity and flux. The membranes consist of an inorganic scaffold, with pores that are filled with a thermoplastic polymer that crystallizes in the pore space while a nm thin interfacial area remains amorphous. The polyetherimide, present on top of the α‐Al2O3 scaffold as a 3.9 µm amorphous layer, and inside the near‐surface area of the scaffold over ≈130 nm, is partly crystallized. Combinations of extremely high gas selectivities are found of >2200 for CO2/N2 and >4000 for H2/N2, combined with CO2 and H2 permeances of 2.2 × 10−10 and 4.0 × 10−10 [mol (m2 Pa s)−1], respectively. For CO2 (5–50%) and N2 dry and water‐saturated gas mixtures, only CO2 permeance is detected. The presence of water appears to affect CO2 permeances very little at both 22 and 57 °C. Selective molecular transport is blocked in the crystalline areas and takes place exclusively in the amorphous interfacial area. It is governed by a combination of affinity, mobility, and size‐exclusion. Conservative estimates of the membrane permeability indicate that their properties by far exceed the Robeson boundary.

Characterization of thin film evaporation in micropillar wicks using micro-Raman spectroscopy

Thin film evaporation on microstructured surfaces is a promising strategy for high heat flux thermal management. To enhance fundamental understanding and optimize the overall heat transfer performance across a few microns thick liquid film, however, requires detailed thermal characterizations. Existing characterization techniques using infrared thermometry or contact-mode temperature sensors such as thermocouples and resistance temperature detectors cannot accurately measure the temperature of the thin liquid film near the three-phase contact line due to the restriction of low spatial resolution or temperature sensitivity. In this work, we developed a non-contact, in situ temperature measurement approach using a custom micro-Raman spectroscopy platform which has a spatial resolution of 1.5 μm and temperature sensitivity within 0.5 °C. We utilized this method to characterize thin film evaporation from fabricated silicon micropillar arrays. We showed that we can accurately measure the local thin film temperature and map the overall temperature distribution on the structured surfaces at different heat fluxes. We investigated the effects of micropillar array geometries and showed that the temperature rise of the liquid was reduced with the decreasing micropillar pitch due to the increased fraction of the thin film area. This work offers a promising method with micro-Raman to quantify phase change heat transfer on microstructured surfaces. This characterization technique can significantly aid mechanistic understanding and wick structure optimization for various phase-change based thermal management devices.

Genetic parameters and characterization of egg content spreading area in White Leghorn chickens.

Uncharacteristically large spreading area on a flat surface of broken egg negatively affects egg quality assessment and reduces eggs' economic value. In this study, we investigated the heredity of the egg content spreading area as well as the relationships between the egg content spreading area and egg quality traits and properties. We measured the total egg content spreading area (TECA), outer thin albumen area (OTAA), inner thick albumen area (ITAA), yolk area (YA), and egg quality traits for 1414 newly laid eggs from 487 27-wk-old White Leghorn pure line pullets. The genetic parameters of egg content spreading areas were estimated. The phenotypic and genetic correlations between egg content spreading area and egg quality traits were analyzed. The differences in the properties of eggs with similar egg weight but markedly different TECA were also analyzed. The heritability estimates for TECA, OTAA, ITAA, and YA were low to moderate, with values of 0.214, 0.176, 0.340, and 0.280, respectively. Egg weight was related to TECA with a phenotypic correlation of 0.450 (P<0.01) and a genetic correlation of 0.349. A high genetic correlation (-0.731) was found between TECA and Haugh unit. In eggs with larger TECA, the weight and total solid content of outer thin albumen (OTA) and moisture content of inner thick albumen (ITA) were significantly higher, whereas the weight and total solid content of ITA was markedly lower, but no differences (P>0.05) were found in the pH of OTA and ITA, moisture content of OTA, as well as the eggshell strength, thickness, and non-destruction and fracture deformation between eggs with similar egg weight but markedly different TECA. These results suggest that the egg content spreading area can be regulated via the direct selection strategy or indirect selection of the ratio of OTA to ITA in the breeding program.

Genetic Risk Factors for Intracranial Aneurysm in the Kazakh Population.

An intracranial aneurysm (IA) is a weak or thin area on a blood vessel in the brain that balloons as it fills with blood. Genetic factors can influence the risk of developing an aneurism. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and IA in Kazakh population. The patients were genotyped for 60 single nucleotide polymorphisms. Genotyping was performed on the QuantStudio 12K Flex (Life Technologies). A linear regression analysis found 13 SNPs' significant association with development and rupture of IA: the rs1800956 polymorphism of the ENG gene, rs1756 46 polymorphism of the JDP2 gene, variant rs1800255 of the COL3A1, rs4667622 of the UBR3, rs2374513 of the c12orf75, rs3742321 polymorphism of the StAR, the rs3782356 polymorphism of MLL2 gene, rs3932338 to 214 kilobases downstream of PRDM9, rs7550260 polymorphism of the ARHGEF, rs1504749 polymorphism of the SOX17, the rs173686 polymorphism of CSPG2 gene, rs6460071 located on LIMK1 gene, and the rs4934 polymorphism of SERPINA3. A total of 13 SNPs were identified as potential genetic markers for the development and risk of rupture of aneurysms in the Kazakh population. Similar results were obtained after adjusting for the confounding factors of arterial hypertension and age.

Thermal design optimization of evaporator micropillar wicks

Heat pipes and vapor chambers act as efficient heat spreaders since they rely on phase change of the coolant. The evaporator design is critical and typically high performance is characterized by the high heat dissipation capability with low thermal resistance. In the past, there have been numerous experimental and modeling studies focused on the design of evaporator wicks of different geometries, but systematic studies to simultaneously optimize both the heat flux and thermal resistance have been limited. In this work, we developed a comprehensive model that considers both aspects to provide design guidelines for evaporator micropillar wicks. We show that capillary limited heat dissipation is best captured with a recently developed numerical model as compared to previous analytical models. We also developed a numerical model to obtain the effective wick thermal conductivity, which is a function of pillar diameter, pitch, and height. Smaller diameters with smaller pitches of the pillars had more thin film area and had larger effective wick thermal conductivities. Our parametric investigations show that trade-offs between lowest thermal resistance and maximum heat carrying load exists, and the actual wick geometry will be dictated by application specific requirements. Finally, we highlight the importance of accurately obtaining the accommodation coefficients to predict the effective wick thermal conductivity. The present work would enable in optimal design of micropillar wicks (with low thermal resistance and high dry-out heat flux) and the same methodology can be extended to other types of wick structures as well.

Transmission Electron Microscope Nanosculpting of Topological Insulator Bismuth Selenide

We present a process for sculpting Bi2Se3 nanoflakes into application-relevant geometries using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. This process takes several minutes to sculpt small areas and can be used to cut the Bi2Se3 into wires and rings, to thin areas of the Bi2Se3, and to drill circular holes and lines. We determined that this method allows for sub 10 nm features and results in clean edges along the drilled regions. Using in situ high-resolution imaging, selected area diffraction, and atomic force microscopy, we found that this lithography process preserves the crystal structure of Bi2Se3. TEM sculpting is more precise and potentially results in cleaner edges than does ion-beam modification; therefore, the promise of this method for thermoelectric and topological devices calls for further study into the transport properties of such structures.

Fabrication of sputtered titanium vanadium nitride (TiVN) thin films for micro-supercapacitors

In the present work, we have demonstrated the micro-supercapacitor behavior of titanium vanadium nitride thin films fabricated on stainless steel substrates by a pulsed DC magnetron sputtering technique. The microstructural characterization from X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals the FCC structure of TiVN thin films with a preferred (200) orientation. A faceted morphology with square-edge shaped dense grains of the thin films is observed from field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. Ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the surface compositions and confirmed the absence of impurities. The specific capacitance (Csp) of the electrode material was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Galvanostatic charge–discharge (CD) test and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were also performed. The electrochemical result of fabricated TiVN displays a supercapacitive behavior. A maximum Csp of 69 F/g (volumetric capacitance of 155.94 F/cm3) is obtained from both CV and CD studies. The experimental results reveal that the sputtered TiVN thin films area promising electrode material for electrochemical micro-supercapacitors.

Temperature dependence of pure spin current and spin-mixing conductance in the ferromagnetic—normal metal structure

Temperature evolution of pure spin current has been studied in an epitaxial thin-film bilayer La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/Pt deposited on a NdGaO3 substrate. The spin current was generated by microwave pumping under conditions of ferromagnetic resonance in the ferromagnetic La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 layer and detected in the Pt layer due to the inverse spin Hall effect. A considerable increase in the spin current magnitude has been observed upon cooling from the Curie point (350 K) down to 100 K. Using the obtained data, the temperature evolution of the mixed spin conductance gmix(T) has been extracted. It was found that the gmix(T) dependence correlates with magnetization in a thin area adjacent to the ferromagnetic-normal metal interface.

THIN ICE AREA EXTRACTION IN THE SEASONAL SEA ICE ZONES OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE USING MODIS DATA

Abstract. Sea ice has an important role of reflecting the solar radiation back into space. However, once the sea ice area melts, the area starts to absorb the solar radiation which accelerates the global warming. This means that the trend of global warming is likely to be enhanced in sea ice areas. In this study, the authors have developed a method to extract thin ice area using reflectance data of MODIS onboard Terra and Aqua satellites of NASA. The reflectance of thin sea ice in the visible region is rather low. Moreover, since the surface of thin sea ice is likely to be wet, the reflectance of thin sea ice in the near infrared region is much lower than that of visible region. Considering these characteristics, the authors have developed a method to extract thin sea ice areas by using the reflectance data of MODIS (NASA MYD09 product, 2017) derived from MODIS L1B. By using the scatter plots of the reflectance of Band 1 (620 nm–670 nm) and Band 2 (841 nm–876 nm)) of MODIS, equations for extracting thin ice area were derived. By using those equations, most of the thin ice areas which could be recognized from MODIS images were well extracted in the seasonal sea ice zones in the Northern Hemisphere, namely the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. For some limited areas, Landsat-8 OLI images were also used for validation.

Skating on thin evidence: Implications for public policy

Good public policy needs to be evidence based. However, the evidence base is thin for many policy issues. How can policy makers best respond to such thin areas of research that are also quite likely to change over time? Our survey investigates the evolution of the econometric evidence base for 101 economic issues, drawing upon 42,578 effect sizes (mainly elasticities and correlations) from 4300 econometric studies. We evaluate the performance of six approaches to early research assessment: the simple unweighted mean; the median; the Paldam, “divide by 2” rule of thumb; the unrestricted weighted least squares (WLS) weighted average; the PET-PEESE meta-regression correction for publication bias; the weighted average of the adequately powered (WAAP); and WAAP-WLS. Lowest prediction errors are found in the Paldam rule of thumb and WLS. WLS typically reduces the initial exaggeration of thin evidence by half.

Arctic sea ice signatures: L-band brightness temperature sensitivity comparison using two radiation transfer models

Abstract. Sea ice is a crucial component for short-, medium- and long-term numerical weather predictions. Most importantly, changes of sea ice coverage and areas covered by thin sea ice have a large impact on heat fluxes between the ocean and the atmosphere. L-band brightness temperatures from ESA's Earth Explorer SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) have been proven to be a valuable tool to derive thin sea ice thickness. These retrieved estimates were already successfully assimilated in forecasting models to constrain the ice analysis, leading to more accurate initial conditions and subsequently more accurate forecasts. However, the brightness temperature measurements can potentially be assimilated directly in forecasting systems, reducing the data latency and providing a more consistent first guess. As a first step towards such a data assimilation system we studied the forward operator that translates geophysical parameters provided by a model into brightness temperatures. We use two different radiative transfer models to generate top of atmosphere brightness temperatures based on ORAP5 model output for the 2012/2013 winter season. The simulations are then compared against actual SMOS measurements. The results indicate that both models are able to capture the general variability of measured brightness temperatures over sea ice. The simulated brightness temperatures are dominated by sea ice coverage and thickness changes are most pronounced in the marginal ice zone where new sea ice is formed. There we observe the largest differences of more than 20 K over sea ice between simulated and observed brightness temperatures. We conclude that the assimilation of SMOS brightness temperatures yields high potential for forecasting models to correct for uncertainties in thin sea ice areas and suggest that information on sea ice fractional coverage from higher-frequency brightness temperatures should be used simultaneously.