Sea ice modeling and remote sensing in the Barents and Kara Seas. Part B: Remote Sensing

This report describes the satellite remote sensing activities performed in 2005. We have collected and analysed several types of satellite data that can quantify some of the sea ice and iceberg properties that are important for planning of Statoil’s activities in the Barents and Kara Sea region. Daily passive microwave data are useful for mapping ice concentration and ice extent on regional scale in order to follow the ice edge and ice drift. These parameters are needed as input data in sea ice and iceberg drift models. At present daily, near real-time data are assimilated in the TOPAZ ice forecasting model, and will be used also in the Barents Sea model. For detailed mapping of ice types, ice concentration, ice drift, ice convergence/divergence, multiyear floes, ridges and leads SAR images have been collected for most of the study period in 2005. Several examples of analysis of the SAR images, including ice drift retrieval, have been shown.

From February SAR wideswath mosaics have been made more or less regularly throughout the year in the Barents/Kara Sea region. This demonstrates how ice mapping can be improved compared to the standard ice charts delivered by the national ice services. 2005 is the fist year when such SAR mosaics are produced in the Barents/Kara Sea region. SAR is the most important space instrument for mapping sea ice properties in support of ice operations and navigation. For iceberg detection, high resolution optical images have been demonstrated in the Franz Josef Land area. In one ASTER image more that 100 icebergs were found embedded in the fastice surrounding the archipelago in May 2005. For monitoring of iceberg production and iceberg drift, it is useful to have a systematic scheme for optical as well as SAR images with sufficient high resolution. Use of satellite altimeter data for ice surface topography, ridges and thickness mapping has been investigated with examples of IceSat data from 2003.