Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dual-polarized ratio algorithm for retrieving Arctic sea ice concentration from passive microwave brightness temperature

Journal of Oceanography Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Cite this article

Abstract

We present a new algorithm for retrieving sea ice concentration from the AMSR-E data, the dual-polarized ratio (DPR) algorithm. The DPR algorithm is developed using vertically and horizontally polarized brightness temperatures at the same channel of 36.5 GHz. It depends on the ratio of dual-polarized emissivity, α, which is determined empirically at about 0.92 by remotely sensed brightness temperature in winter and used for the other seasons as well. The ice concentration retrieved by the DPR is compared with those by the NT2 and ABA algorithms. Since the main difference among these algorithms takes place in marginal ice zones, 17 marginal ice zones are chosen. The retrieved ice concentrations in these zones are examined by the ice concentration obtained by the MODIS data. The mean error, root-mean-square error and mean absolute error of the DPR algorithm are relatively better than those from the other two algorithms. The results of this study illustrate that the DPR algorithm is a more accurate algorithm for retrieving sea ice concentration from the AMSR-E brightness temperature, and can be used for operational purposes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aagaard K, Coachaman LK, Mack EC (1981) On the halocline of the Arctic Ocean. Deep Sea Res 28:529–545

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen S, Tonboe RT, Kaleschke L, Heygster G, Pedersen LT (2007) Intercomparison of passive microwave sea ice concentration retrievals over the high-concentration Arctic sea ice. J Geophys Res 112:C08004. doi:10.1029/2006JC003543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cavalieri DJ, Gloersen P, Campbell WJ (1984) Determination of sea ice parameters with the NIMBUS 7 SMMR. J Geophys Res 89(D4):5355–5369

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavalieri DJ, Martin S (1994) The contribution of Alaskan, Siberian, and Canadian coastal polynyas to the cold halocline layer of the Arctic Ocean. J Geophys Res 99(C9) 18: 343–18,362. doi:10.1029/94JC01169

  • Comiso JC (1986) Characteristics of Arctic Winter sea ice form satellite Multispectral microwave observations. J Geophys Res 91(C1):975–994

    Google Scholar 

  • Comiso JC (1995) SSM/I concentrations using the Bootstrap algorithm. NASA Spec Publ 1380:40

    Google Scholar 

  • Comiso JC, Sullivan CW (1986) Satellite microwave and in Situ observations of the Weddell sea ice cover and its marginal ice zone. J Geophys Res 91(C8):9663–9681

    Google Scholar 

  • Comiso JC, Zwally HJ (1982) Antarctic sea ice concentration inferred from Nimbus 5 ESMR and Landsat imagery. J Geophys Res 87:5836–5844

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Comiso JC, Ackley SF, Gordon AL (1984) Antarctic sea ice microwave signatures and their correlation with in situ ice observations. J Geophys Res 89:662–672

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Comiso JC, Cavalieri DJ, Parkinson CL, Gloersen P (1997) Passive microwave algorithms for sea ice concentration: a comparison of two techniques. Remote Sens Environ 60:357–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Comiso JC, Member S, Cavalieri DJ, Markus T (2003) Sea ice concentration, ice temperature, and snow depth using AMSR-E data. IEEE Trans Geosci Remote Sens 41:243–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grenfell TC (1983) A theoretical model of the optical properties of sea ice in the visible and near infrared. J Geophys Res 88:9723–9735

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grenfell TC, Lohanick AW (1985) Temporal variations of the microwave signatures of sea ice during the late spring and early summer near Mould Bay NWT. J Geophys Res 90(C3):5063–5074

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinrichs JF, Cavalieri DJ, Markus T (2006) Assessment of the AMSR-E sea ice concentration product at the ice edge using RADARSAT-1 and MODIS imagery. IEEE Trans Geosci Remote Sens 44(11):3070–3080

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemke P (1987) A coupled one-dimensional sea ice-mixed layer model. J Geophys Res 92(C12):13,164–13,172

    Google Scholar 

  • Liou KN (2002) An introduction to atmospheric radiation, chap 7, 2nd edn. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, pp 414–419

  • Lu P, Li ZJ, Cheng B, Lei RB, Zhang R (2010) Sea ice surface features in Arctic summer 2008: aerial observations. Remote Sens Environ 114:693–699

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markus T, Cavalieri DJ (2000) An enhancement of the NASA Team sea ice algorithm. IEEE Trans Geosci Remote Sens 38:1387–1398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maykut GA (1978) Energy exchange over young sea ice in the central arctic. J Geophys Res 83(C7):3646–3658

    Google Scholar 

  • Perovich DK, Tucker WB III, Ligett KA (2002) Aerial observations of the evolution of ice surface conditions during summer. J Geophys Res. 107(C10):8048. doi:10.1029/2000JC000449

  • Smith DM (1996) Extraction of winter sea-ice concentration in the Greenland and Barents Seas from SSM/I data. Int J Remote Sens 17(13):2625–2646

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spreen G, Kaleschke L, Heygster G (2008) Sea ice remote sensing using AMSR-E 89 GHz channels. J Geophys Res. 113:C02S03. doi:10.1029/2005JC003384

  • Svendsen E, Kloster K, Farrelly B, Johannessen OM, Johannessen JA, Campbell WJ, Gloersen P, Cavalieri DJ, Matzler C (1983) Norwegian remote sensing experiment: evaluation of the nimbus 7 scanning multichannel microwave radiometer for sea ice research. J Geophys Res 88:2781–2792

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svendsen E, Matzler C, Grenfell TC (1987) A model for retrieving total sea ice concentration from spaceborne dual-polarized passive microwave instrument operating near 90 GHz. Int J Remote Sens 8(10):1479–1487

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilheit TT (1980) Atmospheric corrections to microwave radiometer data. Boundary Layer Meteorol 18:65–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ye XX, Su J, Wang Y, Hao GH, Hou JQ (2011) Assessment of AMSR-E sea ice concentration in ice margin zone using MODIS data. In: Proceedings of the international conference on remote sensing environment and transportation engineering (RSETE) of IEEE

  • Zhao JP, Ren JP (2000) From airlines digital image extraction method of arctic sea ice form parameters. J Remote Sens 4(4):271–278

    Google Scholar 

  • Zwally HJ, Comiso JC, Parkinson CL, Cavalieri DJ, Gloersen P (2002) Variability of Antarctic sea ice 1979–1998. J Geophys Res 107:3041. doi:10.1029/2000JC000733

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zwally HJ, Comiso JC, Parkinson CL, Campbell WJ, Carsey FD, Gloersen P (1983) Antarctic sea ice, 1973–1976: satellite passive microwave observations. Washington, DC. NASA SP-459

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study is supported by the Global Change Research Program (2010CB951403) and the Hi-tech Program of China (2008AA121701).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ocean University of China, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China

    Shugang Zhang, Jinping Zhao & Jie Su

  2. Clark University, Worcester, USA

    Karen Frey

Authors
  1. Shugang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jinping Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Karen Frey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jie Su
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shugang Zhang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, S., Zhao, J., Frey, K. et al. Dual-polarized ratio algorithm for retrieving Arctic sea ice concentration from passive microwave brightness temperature. J Oceanogr 69, 215–227 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-012-0167-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-012-0167-z

Keywords

search

Navigation