Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yudong Sun, Bryan Riel, Brent Minchew
Summary: The collapse of an ice shelf can cause glaciers to accelerate and lead to rapid ice mass loss. This study investigates the deformation of landfast sea ice to understand the resistive stresses and mechanisms driving ice collapse. By analyzing synthetic aperture radar data, the researchers found that the landfast ice in the Antarctic Peninsula disintegrated in 2022 due to several large opening rifts. They also observed that grounded glaciers did not immediately accelerate after the collapse, indicating a limited buttressing effect from landfast ice. These findings suggest that the buttressing stresses are unlikely to recover within the sub-decadal timescales following ice shelf collapse.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yudong Sun, Bryan Riel, Brent Minchew
Summary: The speed-up of glaciers can significantly increase ice mass loss after the collapse of an ice shelf. This study investigates the deformation of landfast sea ice to understand its resistive stresses and the mechanisms of ice collapse. By analyzing radar data, the researchers found that the landfast ice filling the embayment formerly covered by the Larsen B Ice Shelf disintegrated in 2022 due to a few large opening rifts. The grounded glaciers did not immediately accelerate after the collapse, suggesting little buttressing effect from landfast ice.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Arttu Jutila, Joshua King, John Paden, Robert Ricker, Stefan Hendricks, Chris Polashenski, Veit Helm, Tobias Binder, Christian Haas
Summary: This study presents a new method for measuring high-resolution snow depth on Arctic sea ice using airborne microwave radar measurements. The method improves the accuracy of radar-derived snow depth data through calibration and data processing. The results show that the method is capable of accurately measuring snow depth on Arctic sea ice.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Adrian Eng-Choon Tan, Josh McCulloch, Wolfgang Rack, Ian Platt, Ian Woodhead
Summary: This study presents a lightweight radar technology that autonomously measures snow depth over sea ice from a UAV, with field trials showing depth accuracy varies with different flight parameters.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexander A. Kokhanovsky, Maximillian Brell, Karl Segl, Giovanni Bianchini, Christian Lanconelli, Angelo Lupi, Boyan Petkov, Ghislain Picard, Laurent Arnaud, Robert S. Stone, Sabine Chabrillat
Summary: This paper presents the retrieval of clean snow properties using EnMAP hyperspectral observations for the first time. The study was conducted near the Concordia station at the Dome C Plateau in Antarctica where the atmospheric effects are weak. Ice grain size, snow specific surface area, and snow spectral and broadband albedos were obtained using EnMAP measurements. Additionally, a technique for retrieving trace gas concentrations from EnMAP observations over snow surfaces was proposed, and good agreement with ground-measured parameters was found.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Di Liu, Yanyun Shen, Yiwen Wang, Zhipan Wang, Zewen Mo, Qingling Zhang
Summary: Accurate monitoring of snow and ice dynamics in the Arctic is crucial for understanding climate change impacts and predicting feedback on global climate. Traditional remote sensing methods have limitations in long-term observations of polar regions. This study systematically assessed the use of moonlight remote sensing to monitor snow/ice dynamics during dark Arctic winters. Using VIIRS/DNB time series data and object-oriented Random Forests algorithm, we achieved high accuracy in revealing the spatiotemporal dynamics of snow/ice covers from 2012 to 2022. Our findings demonstrate the potential of moonlight remote sensing for continuous monitoring in the Arctic and contribute to polar studies and climate change research.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xiuhong Li, Xuejie Hao, Lizeyan Yin, Lu Liu, Yushuang Ma, Rongjin Yang, Qiao Song
Summary: The polar regions play a crucial role in global climate change, and it is essential to obtain accurate ice shelf movement data through comprehensive investigations to validate remote sensing data. Proposed solutions include developing monitoring systems and integrating high precision GPS and sensors for data acquisition in extreme polar environments, which have been validated through testing and remote sensing verification.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stuart Anderson
Summary: HF radars are commonly used for remote sensing of ocean surface conditions, ionospheric studies, and monitoring of ship and aircraft traffic. However, their potential for sea ice remote sensing has not been fully explored. Recent advancements in the theory of HF scattering from sea surfaces with ice cover have provided new tools for interpreting radar echoes. Challenges in utilizing HF radar for ice monitoring include physical and technical constraints.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sophie Dufour-Beausejour, Monique Bernier, Jerome Simon, Saeid Homayouni, Veronique Gilbert, Yves Gauthier, Juupi Tuniq, Anna Wendleder, Achim Roth
Summary: This study investigated the distribution of snow depth and ice thickness in three fjords of the Hudson Strait, finding a tenuous correlation with radar backscattering, with linear correlations generally not exceeding 0.3, except for a special case in May 2018. The co-polarization ratio was found to not perform better than the backscattering coefficients.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Anna L. Broome, Dustin M. Schroeder
Summary: Ice-penetrating radar sounders are essential tools for studying the conditions within and underneath Earth's ice sheets, providing crucial data for understanding dynamics of ice sheets and their impact on global sea level. A radar system with high radiometric fidelity, narrow frequency bands, and multi-frequency capability can effectively separate signals from basal material and basal roughness, allowing for precise analysis of ice sheet conditions on a pulse-by-pulse basis.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edward P. Luke, Fan Yang, Pavlos Kollias, Andrew M. Vogelmann, Maximilian Maahn
Summary: Secondary ice production (SIP) is crucial in increasing ice particle number concentrations in mixed-phase clouds, especially at temperatures warmer than 10 degrees C. Although SIP events are infrequent, they can have a significant impact locally, with up to a 1,000-fold enhancement in ice number concentration. Freezing fragmentation is found to be more efficient for SIP than rime splintering, especially when enhanced by updrafts.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Rosemary Willatt, Julienne C. Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Thomas Newman, Robbie Mallett, Stefan Hendricks, Robert Ricker, James Mead, Polona Itkin, Rasmus Tonboe, David N. Wagner, Gunnar Spreen, Glen Liston, Martin Schneebeli, Daniela Krampe, Michel Tsamados, Oguz Demir, Jeremy Wilkinson, Matthias Jaggi, Lu Zhou, Marcus Huntemann, Ian A. Raphael, Arttu Jutila, Marc Oggier
Summary: This study investigated methods to estimate snow depth on sea ice using radar, and found that using polarimetry and waveform shape information can provide relatively accurate estimations.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Review
Geography, Physical
Shubham Awasthi, Divyesh Varade
Summary: This paper reviews the application of remote sensing techniques in the study of alpine snow, highlighting its importance and potential advantages. It also discusses the geophysical characteristics of snow and the limitations of remote sensing technology in estimating these properties, providing prospects for the retrieval of snow geophysical parameters in the future.
GISCIENCE & REMOTE SENSING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Alexey Ermoshkin, Alexander Molkov
Summary: Situation with ice-free Arctic seas is becoming more frequent, allowing scientists to study hard-to-reach areas. This article discusses a successful expedition in 2020 that used marine radar to study hydrophysical processes in the Arctic, including wind waves, different types of ice, and methane seeps.
IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATIONS AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Claude De Rijke-Thomas, Jack C. Landy, Robbie Mallett, Rosemary C. Willatt, Michel Tsamados, Joshua King
Summary: Surface-based Ku-band radar altimetry investigations have shown that radar signals are typically reflected from above the snow-sea ice interface, which may cause a bias in satellite altimeter sea ice thickness retrievals. This study presents a mechanism to potentially explain this paradox, which is probabilistic quasi-specular radar scattering from the snow-ice interface. The study confirms this mechanism using airborne Ku-band radar observations collected over landfast first-year Arctic sea ice near Eureka, Canada, in spring 2016.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Christopher Gerekos, Cyril Grima, Gregor Steinbrugge, Sanchari Thakur, Kirk M. Scanlan, Duncan A. Young, Lorenzo Bruzzone, Donald D. Blankenship
Summary: Understanding the relationship between Europa's surface roughness and backscattered radar signals, this study used Martian roughness data to create analog maps for different types of Europan terrains. It revealed that certain Europan terrains match certain Martian roughness analogues.
Review
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Joseph A. MacGregor, Linette N. Boisvert, Brooke Medley, Alek A. Petty, Jeremy P. Harbeck, Robin E. Bell, J. Bryan Blair, Edward Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, Ellen M. Buckley, Michael S. Christoffersen, James R. Cochran, Beata M. Csatho, Eugenia L. De Marco, RoseAnne T. Dominguez, Mark A. Fahnestock, Sinead L. Farrell, S. Prasad Gogineni, Jamin S. Greenbaum, Christy M. Hansen, Michelle A. Hofton, John W. Holt, Kenneth C. Jezek, Lora S. Koenig, Nathan T. Kurtz, Ronald Kwok, Christopher F. Larsen, Carlton J. Leuschen, Caitlin D. Locke, Serdar S. Manizade, Seelye Martin, Thomas A. Neumann, Sophie M. J. Nowicki, John D. Paden, Jacqueline A. Richter-Menge, Eric J. Rignot, Fernando Rodriguez-Morales, Matthew R. Siegfried, Benjamin E. Smith, John G. Sonntag, Michael Studinger, Kirsty J. Tinto, Martin Truffer, Thomas P. Wagner, John E. Woods, Duncan A. Young, James K. Yungel
Summary: Operation IceBridge conducted by NASA over 13 years aimed to survey land and sea ice using airborne laser altimetry. With 968 science flights, OIB greatly improved our understanding of land ice and sea ice, leading to numerous unexpected discoveries and providing valuable data for future research on the cryosphere.
REVIEWS OF GEOPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
C. Grima, J. Mouginot, W. Kofman, A. Herique, P. Beck
Summary: The detection of anomalously strong basal reflectivity beneath the Martian South Polar Layered Deposits (SPLD) has led to hypotheses suggesting the presence of basal materials such as liquid water. By analyzing existing data, we found that a certain percentage of the Martian surface could produce basal reflections similar to SPLD measurements under the assumption of impure ice. To prevent bright SPLD-like basal reflections, an ice loss tangent > $ > $0.01 is required. The detected bright terrains are mainly located within volcanic constructs of different geological epochs.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Kristian Chan, Cyril Grima, Anja Rutishauser, Duncan A. Young, Riley Culberg, Donald D. Blankenship
Summary: Using airborne ice-penetrating radar surveys, we characterized the near-surface structure of the Devon Ice Cap in the Canadian Arctic, specifically focusing on ice layers formed from refrozen meltwater. Our results indicate that the average ice slab thickness in the percolation zone of the ice cap ranges from 4.2 to 5.6 meters, which may contribute to surface runoff through supraglacial rivers.
Article
Geography, Physical
Julien A. Bodart, Robert G. Bingham, Duncan A. Young, Joseph A. MacGregor, David W. Ashmore, Enrica Quartini, Andrew S. Hein, David G. Vaughan, Donald D. Blankenship
Summary: This study uses internal reflecting horizons (IRHs) to estimate the accumulation rates of glaciers in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the mid-Holocene, and finds that the rates were 18% higher than modern rates. These findings are important for understanding the past evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its contribution to sea-level rise.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cyril Grima, Nathaniel E. Putzig, Bruce A. Campbell, Matthew Perry, Sean P. S. Gulick, Russell C. Miller, Aaron T. Russell, Kirk M. Scanlan, Gregor Steinbrugge, Duncan A. Young, Scott D. Kempf, Gregory Ng, Dillon Buhl, Donald D. Blankenship
Summary: Building on previous research, this study investigates the response of the Martian surface to orbital radar using a reflectometry technique known as radar statistical reconnaissance. The results provide statistical parameters describing the surface and near-surface structure of the test region, allowing for the identification of smooth and level terrains. The findings also highlight the complementarity of different data sets and advocate for the use of self-affine radar backscattering models to account for roughness variations at different scales.
PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Miguel Liu-Schiaffini, Gregory Ng, Cyril Grima, Duncan Young
Summary: The article presents a deep learning model for automated ice bed identification, which can capture fine-grained basal detail and detect basal echoes automatically. The proposed method shows comparable or superior performance to the manual approach in certain applications.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Gregor Steinbrugge, Mark S. Haynes, Dustin M. Schroeder, Kirk M. Scanlan, Alexander Stark, Duncan A. Young, Cyril Grima, Scott Kempf, Gregory Ng, Dillon Buhl, Joana R. C. Voigt, Thomas Roatsch, Donald D. Blankenship
Summary: This research developed an algorithm to process SHARAD data on Mars and convert it into altimetry profiles and digital terrain models. Despite the lower resolution of SHARAD data, it can still be used for satellite-based altimetry, which is particularly important for future planetary missions without laser altimeters but equipped with radar sounders.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Anja Rutishauser, Donald D. Blankenship, Duncan A. Young, Natalie S. Wolfenbarger, Lucas H. Beem, Mark L. Skidmore, Ashley Dubnick, Alison S. Criscitiello
Summary: A new aerogeophysical survey provides evidence for the existence of a hypersaline subglacial lake complex and a network of shallow brine/saturated sediments covering about 170 square kilometers beneath the center of Devon Ice Cap in the Canadian Arctic. The survey also reveals the presence of three closely spaced lakes with a total area of 24.6 square kilometers. These findings suggest a diverse hypersaline subglacial hydrological environment that potentially supports various microbial habitats.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Marie G. P. Cavitte, Duncan A. Young, Robert Mulvaney, Catherine Ritz, Jamin S. Greenbaum, Gregory Ng, Scott D. Kempf, Enrica Quartini, Gail R. Muldoon, John Paden, Massimo Frezzotti, Jason L. Roberts, Carly R. Tozer, Dustin M. Schroeder, Donald D. Blankenship
Summary: This study presents a comprehensive ice-penetrating radar data set covering the Dome C area of the East Antarctic plateau, including 26 internal reflecting horizons (IRHs) collected over 10 years. By correlating with the EPICA-DC ice core, 19 IRHs spanning four glacial cycles were dated, along with indirect dating of seven older IRHs using a 1D ice flow inverse model. Depth and age uncertainties for all IRHs were quantified and provided as part of the data set.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Kirk M. Scanlan, Duncan Young, Gregor Steinbrugge, Scott Kempf, Cyril Grima, Donald Blankenship
Summary: The article introduces a SAR focusing strategy tailored for the REASON datasets, demonstrating its imaging capability and feasibility using SHARAD and MARSIS data sets. It also proposes a quantitative quality control framework and reexamines and compares the assumption of depth-independent SAR focusing.
IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATIONS AND REMOTE SENSING
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Lucas H. Beem, Duncan A. Young, Jamin S. Greenbaum, Donald D. Blankenship, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Jingxue Guo, Sun Bo
Summary: New aerogeophysical observations of Titan Dome in East Antarctica characterized the region and evaluated its suitability as a paleoclimate ice core site. However, due to past fast flow dynamics, basal ice likely being too young, and coarse temporal resolution, Titan Dome is not expected to be relevant to the study of the middle Pleistocene transition.
