Sea ice mapping algorithm for QuikSCAT and Seawinds

Polar sea ice extent is an important input to global climate models and is considered to be a sensitive indicator of global climate change. Studies have shown that Ku-band scatterometer data are sensitive to the presence of sea ice. An algorithm has been developed for sea ice extent detection using data from the NASA scatterometer (NSCAT). This paper discusses the extension of that algorithm to data from future scatterometers, QuikSCAT and Seawinds. Simulated Seawinds data are generated from NSCAT data. Experiments are conducted using Seawinds data as inputs to the NSCAT algorithm. The results show that these data can be used to estimate the ice edge although with a lower degree of accuracy than when NSCAT /spl sigma//sup o/ data are used. While NSCAT requires 6 days of data to effectively implement the algorithm, Seawinds will only require 1-2 days of data due to the wider swath, lack of a nadir gap, and better single pass cell overlap.