Microwave methods for discriminating among sea ice, surface winds, and atmospheric parameters in the Arctic

Understanding the strong air-sea-ice interactions that characterize marginal ice zones (MIZs) is central to understanding the role of the Arctic in the global climate system. MIZs, typically shrouded in cloud, are subject to the passage of violent, short-lived weather systems. Passive microwave imaging provides the requisite spatial and temporal coverage for studying these areas. Atmospheric parameters have, in the past, been retrieved independently of sea ice. The goal of this study is to assess the current ability to discriminate between sea ice and weather at the ice edge with DSMP SSM/I. The approach taken is to examine two days in 1992, one winter and one summer, for which ESA ERS-1 SAR imagery exists for the precise determination of the sea ice edge. Near-surface wind speed, cloud liquid water, water vapour and rain rate were determined.