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UP: Fachverband Umweltphysik
UP 3: Kryosphäre
UP 3.4: Talk
Tuesday, March 14, 2017, 12:00–12:15, GW2 B3009
Snow on Antarctic Sea Ice: Distribution and Trends — Torben Frost1, Stefan Kern2, and •Georg Heygster1 — 1University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics — 2University of Hamburg, Integrated Climate Data Center
Snow on sea ice is an important cryospheric parameter. It is needed to determine the energy flux between ocean, sea ice and atmosphere, the sea ice thickness from altimeter observations, the solar radiation at and underneath sea ice, and the high snow load on Antarctic sea ice frequently leads to flooding and formation of superimposed ice when the water on top of the ice freezes. Moreover, snow depth is needed operationally because the ship friction of snow is similarly high as that of sea ice.
Currently the only operationally used algorithm for snow depth retrieval from satellite observations is the one introduced by Markus and Cavalieri [1998]. It was originally developed for the passive microwave sensor SSM/I and uses for more recent AMSR-E/2 data a linear regression between the brightness temperatures of the two sensors. Within the framework of the Antarctic Option of the ESA Sea Ice Climate Change Initiative project, the algorithm has been re-derived for AMSR-E data from ship based snow depth estimates according to the ASPeCT (1981-2011) protocols. Based on the new snow depth algorithm we will present monthly snow depth means as well as snow depth trends and trend uncertainty maps for the AMSR-E and AMSR2 observation period 2002-2016. Monthly regions of positive, negative and uncertain trends will be identified.