Geophysical interpretation of ScanSAR data in relation to SSM/I data and numerical models of Arctic sea ice

Characterizing the variability of sea ice in the Polar Regions is fundamental for the understanding of global climate and the geophysical processes governing climate changes. Arctic sea ice distribution and circulation are analyzed with the help of ScanSAR images, numerical models and passive microwave data from the late summer period of 1996. The results from an automatic SAR ice concentration algorithm are compared statistically to an 18 km spatially gridded Arctic ice-ocean numerical model and an SSM/I NASA Team 2 ice concentration algorithm. Furthermore, the SAR and the Arctic ice-ocean numerical model datasets are also compared quantitatively in terms of geophysical properties (ice concentration and ice motion) to a 55.5 km girded barotropic Arctic numerical model.