An ice drift series from the Fram Strait January-March 1992 based on ERS-1 SAR data

Abstract

A time series of ERS-1 SAR images is used to estimate ice drift in the Fram Strait January-March 1992 (the ERS-1 mission first ice phase). The images all cover the same area. The sampling interval is three days. The paper shows examples of estimation of ice drift and divergence from this image time series. Divergence is an important quantity in order to estimate ice production and hence mixing of the ocean water masses. A reference configuration of ice points is defined for each image. These ice points are identified in the successive image giving a set of point pairs. These point pairs are input for statistical analysis. Upward looking sonars (ULS) and current meters are moored below the scene. A combination of the SAR derived dynamics and the ULS derived ice thickness series will give opportunities to estimate ice mass flux into the Greenland Sea, and to improve ice classification algorithms.