Ice Concentration Retrieval from the Analysis of Microwaves: Evaluation of a New Methodology Optimized for the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer

A new methodology has been described in Kilic et al. (Ice Concentration Retrieval from the Analysis of Microwaves: A New Methodology Designed for the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer, Remote Sensing 2020, 12, 1060, Part 1 of this study) to estimate Sea Ice Concentration (SIC) from satellite passive microwave observations between 6 and 36 GHz. The Ice Concentration Retrieval from the Analysis of Microwaves (IceCREAM) algorithm is based on an optimal estimation, with a simple radiative transfer model derived from satellite observations at 0% and 100% SIC. Observations at low and high frequencies have different spatial resolutions, and a scheme is developed to benefit from the low errors of the low frequencies and the high spatial resolutions of the high frequencies. This effort is specifically designed for the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) project, equipped with a large deployable antenna to provide a spatial resolution of ∼5 km at 18 and 36 GHz, and ∼15 km at 6 and 10 GHz. The algorithm is tested with Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) observations, for a clear scene over the north polar region, with collocated Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) estimates and the Ocean Sea Ice—Satellite Application Facilities (OSI SAF) operational products. Several algorithm options are tested, and the study case shows that both high spatial resolution and low errors are obtained with the IceCREAM method. It is also tested for the full polar regions, winter and summer, under clear and cloudy conditions. Our method is globally applicable, without fine-tuning or further weather filtering. The systematic use of all channels from 6 to 36 GHz makes it robust to changes in ice surface conditions and to weather interactions.

Spring Phytoplankton Production in the Western Ross Sea

Coastal zone color scanner (CZCS) imagery of the western Ross Sea revealed the Presence of an intense phytoplankton bloom covering >106,000 square kilometers in early December 1978. This bloom developed inside the Ross Sea polynya, within 2 weeks of initial polynya formation in late November. Primary productivity calculated from December imagery (3.9 grams of carbon per square meter per day) was up to four times the values measured during in situ studies in mid-January to February 1979. Inclusion of this early season production yields a spring-to-summer estimate of 141 to 171 grams of carbon per square meter, three to four times the values previously reported for the western Ross Sea.