Retrieval of sea ice thickness of Ross Sea with ICESat/GLAS measurements

The surface elevation from ICESat/GLAS measurement of three campaigns in February and March of 2004-2006 is applied to retrieve the sea ice thickness in the Ross Sea. Sea level pressure, SSM/I snow depth, and ASPeCt ship-based observations are used to improve the estimation method. The retrieval result is proven reasonable compared with selected ASPeCt data. The spatial distribution shows geographically nonuniform in the mean FM sea ice field of the Ross Sea. Thicker ice is found in the eastern Ross Sea, about 2-3m, areas near Ross Island and the central part illustrate thinner thickness. Ice thickness shows significant interannual variation, which exhibits synchronous spatially. Sea ice is thickening dramatically during the three FM periods in the selected regions, especially in the western Ross ice shelf front (FIS).