Aircraft active and passive microwave validation of sea ice concentration from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program special sensor microwave imager

摘要: During March 1988 a series of coordinated special sensor microwave imager (SSM/I) underflights were carried out with NASA and Navy aircraft over portions the Bering, Beaufort, Chukchi seas as part Defense Meteorological Satellite Program SSM/I Sea Ice Validation Program. The two research aircraft, Naval Research Laboratory P-3 NOARL Ka band radiometric mapping system operating at 33.6 GHz Air Development Center (NADC) NADC-Environmental Institute Michigan (ERIM) C synthetic aperture radar (SAR), provided wide-swath, high-resolution imagery for direct comparison sea ice concentrations calculated from radiances using algorithm. Coincident measurements made Jet Propulsion (JPL) SAR Goddard Space Flight (GSFC) multifrequency radiometers (AMMR) on DC-8 airborne laboratory additional verification AMMR data Bering edge crossings used to verify that location, defined position initial bands encountered by corresponds an concentration 15%. Direct regions having least 80% coverage reveals total is lower average 2.4%±2.4%. For multiyear ice, flights across Beaufort show algorithm correctly maps large-scale distribution ice: zone first-year off Alaskan coast, large areas mixed region predominantly north Canadian archipelago. Quantitative comparisons overestimates 12%±11% in seas. Excluding day which gave anomalously positive biases, difference reduces 5%±4%, also indicating bias. Anomalously low found coastal Ellesmere Island. Differences between estimated JPL GSFC type are smaller 6%±14%. conditions described, possible causes observed differences discussed.