A comparison of sea ice field observations in the Barents Sea marginal ice zone with satellite SAR data

Routine sea ice observations of ice type, concentration and thickness were carried out during a microwave remote sensing validation campaign in the Barents Sea aboard the US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy during October-November 2001. Ice near the edge was generally a near equal mixture of small to medium floes of thin first-year ice and approximately 2 meters thick multiyear ice, with large floes occurring deeper in the ice pack. These data are compared to estimates of ice concentration from several radarsat and SSM/I images to validate routine operational ice analysis performed at the National/Naval Ice Center in Washington, D.C. Observations of several different ice regimes observed in the field are compared to observed SAR backscatter characteristics. Results show that while some distinction between ice types can be made within the pack, near the ice edge unambiguous determination is difficult from SAR data alone. For the most accurate analysis of ice conditions from SAR in the marginal ice zone, the day to day evolution of the ice drift and growth should be monitored.