SeaWinds views Greenland

Data from the Ku-band SeaWinds scatterometer is used to investigate the extent of the ice facies in Greenland. The duration of the summer melt over the Greenland ice sheet is calculated using the temporal signature of the SeaWinds data. Daily ascending and descending enhanced resolution radar backscatter images of Greenland are produced to investigate diurnal variations in backscatter measurements. These are compared with diurnal variations in the brightness temperature measured by SSM/I. Multi-annual changes in the Greenland ice sheet are studied by comparing 1999 SeaWinds data to 1996 NSCAT data.