Projects
| Project | Abstract | Prime Company | Domain | Tags | Full text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4DANTARCTICA | Ice sheets are a key component of the Earth system, impacting on global sea level, ocean circulation and bio-geochemical processes. Significant quantities of liquid water are being produced and transported at the ice sheet surface, base, and [...] | UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (GB) | Science | CryoSat, cryosphere, polar science cluster, science, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, SMOS | Ice sheets are a key component of the Earth system, impacting on global sea level, ocean circulation and bio-geochemical processes. Significant quantities of liquid water are being produced and transported at the ice sheet surface, base, and beneath its floating sections, and this water is in turn interacting with the ice sheet itself. Surface meltwater drives ice sheet mass imbalance; for example enhanced melt accounts for 60% of ice loss from Greenland, and while in Antarctica the impacts of meltwater are proportionally much lower, its volume is largely unknown and projected to rise. The presence of surface melt water is also a trigger for ice shelf calving and collapse, for example at the Antarctic Peninsula where rising air and ocean temperatures have preceded numerous major collapse events in recent decades. Meltwater is generated at the ice sheet base primarily by geothermal heating and friction associated with ice flow, and this feeds a vast network of lakes and rivers creating a unique bio-chemical environment. The presence of melt water between the ice sheet and bedrock also impacts on the flow of ice into the sea leading to regions of fast-flowing ice. Meltwater draining out of the subglacial system at the grounding line generates buoyant plumes that bring warm ocean bottom water into contact with the underside of floating ice shelves, causing them to melt. Meltwater plumes also lead to high nutrient concentrations within the oceans, contributing to vast areas of enhance primary productivity along the Antarctic coast. Despite the key role that hydrology plays on the ice sheet environment, there is still no global hydrological budget for Antarctica. There is currently a lack of global data on supra- and sub-glacial hydrology, and no systems are in place for continuous monitoring of it or its impact on ice dynamics. The overall aim of 4DAntarctica is to advance our understanding of the Antarctic Ice Sheet’s supra and sub-glacial hydrology, its evolution, and its role within the broader ice sheet and ocean systems. We designed our programme of work to address the following specific objectives: Creating and consolidating an unprecedented dataset composed of ice-sheet wide hydrology and lithospheric products, Earth Observation datasets, and state of the art ice-sheet and hydrology models Improving our understanding of the physical interaction between electromagnetic radiation, the ice sheet, and liquid water Developing techniques and algorithms to detect surface and basal melting from satellite observations in conjunction with numerical modelling Applying these new techniques at local sites and across the continental ice sheet to monitor water dynamics and derive new hydrology datasets Performing a scientific assessment of Antarctic Ice Sheet hydrology and of its role in the current changes the continent is experiencing Proposing a future roadmap for enhanced observation of Antarctica’s hydrological cycle To do so, the project will use a large range of Earth Observation missions (e.g. Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, SMOS, CryoSat-2, GOCE, TanDEM-X, AMSR2, Landsat, Icesat-2) coupled with ice-sheet and hydrological models. By the end of this project, the programme of work presented here will lead to a dramatically improved quantification of meltwater in Antarctica, an improved understanding of fluxes across the continent and to the ocean, and an improved understanding of the impact of the hydrological cycle on ice sheet’s mass balance, its basal environment, and its vulnerability to climate change. |
| 4DGreenland | In 4DGreenland the overall aim is to advance the current state of knowledge on the hydrology of the Greenland Ice Sheet, by capitalising on the latest advances in Earth Observation data.
The high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere have [...] |
Technical University of Denmark (DK) | Science | Glaciers and Ice Sheets, polar science cluster, science | In 4DGreenland the overall aim is to advance the current state of knowledge on the hydrology of the Greenland Ice Sheet, by capitalising on the latest advances in Earth Observation data. The high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere have experienced the largest warming over the last decades. The Greenland ice sheet is currently undergoing rapid changes in response to the increased temperatures. Understanding the Greenland ice sheet hydrologyis essential to understand these changes – and how the Greenland ice sheet will contribute to global sea level rise in a future warming climate. In 4DGreenland we will map and quantify both meltwater- , subglacial- and supra-glacial processes, as well as performing an integrated assessment of Greenland’s hydrology based on the results. We will focus our integrated assessment analysis on the time span 2010-present, and generate a Product Portfolio of novel datasets over the whole Greenland ice sheet to characterise the different components of the hydrological system. Thorough validation ofall derived products and scientific results will be carried out. Another outcome of the project will be a scientific roadmap providing recommendations to ESA to further advance the use of EO technology to address the main knowledge gaps and scientific challenges associated with the Greenland hydrology. |
| AI4ARCTIC | The AI for the Arctic (AI4ARCTIC) project applies deep learning, in particular deep convolutional neural networks, for Earth observation applications within the cryosphere, focusing on sea ice and snow. The project trains deep-learning systems [...] | NORWEGIAN COMPUTING CENTER NORSK REGNESENTRAL (NO) | Science | AI4Science, Arctic, polar science cluster, snow and ice | The AI for the Arctic (AI4ARCTIC) project applies deep learning, in particular deep convolutional neural networks, for Earth observation applications within the cryosphere, focusing on sea ice and snow. The project trains deep-learning systems from relevant training data, and tests and demonstrates the capability of deep learning by applying it to large-scale inference of cryosphere-related variables.The project focuses on two use cases, one on snow mapping in Scandinavia and the other on sea ice charting in the waters around Greenland. |
| AI4IS: AI FORECASTING FOR ICE SHELF CALVING | The instability of Antarctic ice shelves is one of the most critical open questions in polar science, due to its capacity to drive rapid sea level change at - and beyond - current high-end climate projections. Yet forecasting future instability [...] | Science [&] Technology Norway (NO) | Science | AI4EO, AI4Science, Antarctica, polar science cluster, snow and ice | The instability of Antarctic ice shelves is one of the most critical open questions in polar science, due to its capacity to drive rapid sea level change at – and beyond – current high-end climate projections. Yet forecasting future instability is notoriously difficult because of the complex, non-linear forcing mechanisms controlling an ice shelf’s response, including calving at the ice margin. As a result, the timescales for ice shelf collapse forms one of the largest uncertainties in modelling future sea level scenarios. In AI4IS we aim to develop the first AI-based forecasting system for iceberg calving of Antarctic ice shelves. Our AI model, which will fundamentally be built to include Explainable AI (XAI) techniques, will consume a bespoke 4-D multivariate data cube of EO products, complemented with process-model simulations of key climate parameters. Our 4-D data cube will be assembled using a novel Gaussian random field representation approach that our team have recently developed, which is computationally efficient and preserves sub-grid scale information. |
| AKROSS: Altimetric Ku-Band Radar Observations Simulated with SMRT | Accurate estimates of sea ice thickness are essential for numerical weather prediction, ice extent forecasts for navigability and to demonstrate the impacts of climate change on sea ice. The main source of uncertainty in sea ice thickness [...] | CORES SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING LIMIT (GB) | Science | altimeter, CryoSat, permanently open call, polar science cluster, science, snow and ice | Accurate estimates of sea ice thickness are essential for numerical weather prediction, ice extent forecasts for navigability and to demonstrate the impacts of climate change on sea ice. The main source of uncertainty in sea ice thickness measurements from radar altimetry is due to snow. Scattering of the radar signal as it travels through snow changes the return received by the altimeter. AKROSS will determine how snow properties affect the radar return and therefore the accuracy of sea ice thickness estimates. AKROSS has three main objectives: Collection of a suite of field observations of the properties of snow on sea ice suitable for evaluation of electromagnetic models across a range of different satellites, with a focus on radar altimetry. Evaluation and consolidation of the Snow Microwave Radiative Transfer Model in altimeter mode. Investigate origin of signal returns through analysis of the dependence of the altimeter waveform to snowpack structure. The field campaign will take place in Eureka, Canada, timed to coincide with CryoSat2 and ICESat2 satellite overpasses. Snow measurements will include specific surface area, density, layer boundary roughness and casted samples for x-ray tomography imaging. AKROSS will complement and co-ordinate with other activities including studies for the Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL) candidate mission. |
| ALBATROSS – ALtimetry for BAthymetry and TideRetrievals for the Southern Ocean, Sea ice and ice Shelves | The ALBATROSS Project (ALtimetry for BAthymetry and Tide Retrievals for the Southern Ocean, Sea ice and ice Shelves) , led by NOVELTIS in collaboration with DTU, NPI and UCL, is one of the activities funded by ESA in the frame of the Polar [...] | NOVELTIS SAS (FR) | Science | altimeter, Antarctica, bathymetry and seafloor topography, CryoSat, cryosphere, Glaciers and Ice Sheets, oceans, polar science cluster, science, tides | The ALBATROSS Project (ALtimetry for BAthymetry and Tide Retrievals for the Southern Ocean, Sea ice and ice Shelves) , led by NOVELTIS in collaboration with DTU, NPI and UCL, is one of the activities funded by ESA in the frame of the Polar Science Cluster, with the objective to foster collaborative research and interdisciplinary networking actions. In this framework, the ALBATROSS ESA Project aims to improve knowledge about bathymetry and ocean tides in the Southern Ocean.The knowledge about ocean tides is at the crossroads of many scientific fields, especially in the Polar regions, as it has significant impact on ocean circulation modelling and the understanding of the coupled dynamical response of the ocean, sea ice and ice shelves system, the quality and accuracy of sea surface height and sea ice parameter estimates from satellite altimetry, or the understanding of ice-shelf dynamics, for example.Today, this knowledge is still limited by several aspects, such as the quality of bathymetry information, hydrodynamic model resolution and in situ and satellite observations availability for data assimilation and model validation. The objectives of the project are the following: Improve the knowledge on bathymetry around Antarctica, considering decade-long most recently reprocessed CryoSat datasets, innovative information on bathymetry gradient location through the analysis of sea ice surface roughness characteristics, and the compilation of the best available datasets in ice-shelf regions. Improve the knowledge on ocean tides in the Southern Ocean through the implementation of a high-resolution hydrodynamic model based on the most advanced developments in terms of ocean tide modelling, and data assimilation of observations, including satellite-altimetry derived tidal retrievals from the most recent and relevant satellite altimetry products. Improve satellite altimetry retrievals of sea surface heights and sea ice information thanks to the new tidal model solution. Improve the retrievals of ice shelves parameters thanks to the new tidal model solution. Share information and knowledge with other Polar science initiatives and projects. The ALBATROSS Project was launched in May 2021 and will span over two years. ——————————————————————————————————————- Presentation at the Living Planet Symposium (LPS22): ALBATROSS: Improving the bathymetry and ocean tide knowledge in theSouthern Ocean with satellite observations, M. Cancet, O. Andersen,M. Tsamados, G. Moholdt, F. Lyard, M. Restano, J. Benveniste ——————————————————————————————————————- PROJECT DOCUMENTS ALBATROSS ‐ Progress Report for First Quarterly Review PUBLICATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS Cancet M., Lyard F., Andersen O., Tsamados M., Moholdt G., Benveniste J., ALBATROSS, ALtimetry for BAthymetry and Tide Retrievals for the Southern Ocean, Sea ice and ice Shelves, presentation at the ESA Polar Science Cluster Collocation virtual Meeting, 15-17 September 2021 Cancet M., Fouchet E., Sahuc E., Lyard F., Andersen O., Dibarboure G., Picot N., Benveniste J., Improvement of the Bathymetry and Regional Tidal Modelling in the Arctic Ocean, presentation at the CryoSat 10th Anniversary Conference virtual event, 14-17 June 2021 (Announcement of the launch of the ALBATROSS project) ——————————————————————————————————————- The ALBATROSS Mid-Term Review meeting was held on the 23rd of June2022. The work on the bathymetry, coastline and grounding linedatasets that will feed the hydrodynamic tidal model is almostcompleted. Hydrodynamic tidal simulations have been performed inorder to assess the accuracy of the new bathymetry datasets andprovide feedback about improved areas and regions where furtherimprovements may be needed. The exploratory work on the linkagesbetween sea ice surface roughness computed from MISR data,bathymetry features and vertical tidal excursions shows promisingresults and could be used as a complementary tool to assess therealism of some features in the bathymetry models. Finally, thetidal harmonic constituents retrieved from 10 years of CryoSat-2observations in the Southern Ocean provide an invaluable validationdatabase for the tidal model, bridging the gap between the scarcecoastal in-situ observations and the Topex/Jason conventionalaltimetry observations that are limited to 66°S and stronglyaffected by the presence of sea ice. The implementation of the newhigh-resolution tidal atlas will continue in the coming months andwill be followed by an assessment phase |
| AlpGlacier | The Glacier Science in the Alps project is part of the Alps Regional Initiative and is aimed at maximising the scientific return of European investments in EO specifically from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 specifically to provide first enhanced [...] | UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH (CH) | Regional Initiatives | Alps, cryosphere, Glaciers and Ice Sheets, hydrology science cluster, polar science cluster, science, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, snow and ice, water resources | The Glacier Science in the Alps project is part of the Alps Regional Initiative and is aimed at maximising the scientific return of European investments in EO specifically from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 specifically to provide first enhanced observation capacity for glaciers in the Alps beyond area to glacier velocity and end of season snow cover on a weekly-annual basis and second to provide a scientifically sound assessment of hazard state as a direct function of glacier change, specifically, lake size and slope movement around glaciers. This project attempts to provide a wall-to-wall coverage of glaciers in the Alps for the full Sentinel era and will analyse changes taking place in this time period and in contrast with earlier data from the EO archives. Discover more projects, activities and resources on the Alps regional initiative (EO4ALPS) page. |
| Alpsnow | The AlpSnow project will develop improved products for a number of snow parameters (area extent, albedo, grain size, depth, snow water equivalent, snow melt area and wetness). A dataset covering the entire Alps for 4 years will be produced, and [...] | ENVEO – ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH OBSERVATION GMBH (AT) | Regional Initiatives | Alps, hydrology science cluster, polar science cluster, science, snow and ice, water cycle and hydrology | The AlpSnow project will develop improved products for a number of snow parameters (area extent, albedo, grain size, depth, snow water equivalent, snow melt area and wetness). A dataset covering the entire Alps for 4 years will be produced, and its usefulness will be demonstrated through three science cases and three demonstration cases related to land surface modelling, hydrology, numerical weather forecasting and water management. Discover more projects, activities and resources on the Alps regional initiative (EO4ALPS) page. |
| Arctic + Salinity | Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) is a key indicator of the freshwater fluxes and an important variable to understand the changes the Arctic is facing. However, salinity in-situ measurements are very sparse in the Arctic region. For this reason, remote [...] | ARGANS LIMITED (GB) | Science | ocean science cluster, oceans, polar science cluster, science | Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) is a key indicator of the freshwater fluxes and an important variable to understand the changes the Arctic is facing. However, salinity in-situ measurements are very sparse in the Arctic region. For this reason, remote sensing salinity measurements (currently provided by L-band radiometry satellites, SMOS and SMAP) are of special relevance for this region. The retrieval of SSS in the Arctic represents a challenge, because brightness temperatures measured by L-band satellites are less sensitive to salinity in cold waters. An additional drawback consists in the presence of sea ice, that contaminates the brightness temperature and must be adequately processed. The ESA Arctic+ Salinity project (Dec 2018 – June 2020) will contribute to reduce the knowledge gap in the characterization of the freshwater flux changes in the Arctic region. The objectives of this project are the following: 1. Develop a new algorithm and novel approaches with the aim of producing the best quality validated SMOS SSS product in the Arctic region with its corresponding accuracy. Additionally, SMOS and SMAP data will be combined with the aim to improve the radiometric accuracy and the characterization of the product biases and stability. 2. Generate a long-term salinity dataset from 2011 up to date to be publicly offered to the scientific community. The products will be daily distributed with a temporal resolution of 9 days and a spatial resolution of 25Km (EASE Grid 2.0). 3. Assess the relation between the dynamics of SMOS salinity with respect to land freshwater fluxes (Greenland and glacier flows) and ocean freshwater fluxes (rivers and E-P balance) using model outputs. This has the objective to quantify the freshwater fluxes through SSS products. 4. Assess the impact of the new SSS satellite data in a data assimilation system (the TOPAZ4 system, both in forecast and reanalysis mode) with the idea that, if an improvement is demonstrated, the assimilation of SMOS & SMAP products in TOPAZ will be part of the new Arctic reanalysis and forecast products on the CMEMS portal. 5. Define a roadmap describing the future work to better characterize the freshwater fluxes for the Arctic regions. The output of this project will be of great benefit for the on-going ESA Sea Surface Salinity Climate Change Initiative (CCI) project, which started in February 2018. The outputs of the project will be: 1. The distribution to the scientific community of the best-up-to-date sea surface salinity maps from SMOS and from the combination of SMOS and SMAP with their corresponding uncertainties. 2. Explore the feasibility and utility of assimilating the surface salinity maps product in the TOPAZ4 model. The potential problem the project face is the sparse in-situ data availability in the area which is needed for a complete validation assessment. Other potential problems are the sea ice edge that has a direct effect in the brightness temperature and the RFI contamination. But several solutions have already been identified. |
| ArcticSummIT: Arctic Summer Ice Thickness | Living Planet Fellowship research project carried out by Jack Landy.
Arctic-SummIT will deliver, for the first time, a sea ice thickness product during summer months from the ESA Cryosat-2 satellite. As the extent of Arctic sea ice has [...] |
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL (GB) | Science | CryoSat, cryosphere, living planet fellowship, polar science cluster, science | Living Planet Fellowship research project carried out by Jack Landy. Arctic-SummIT will deliver, for the first time, a sea ice thickness product during summer months from the ESA Cryosat-2 satellite. As the extent of Arctic sea ice has declined at unprecedented speed over the past few decades, we have been able to view only limited snapshots of the ice cover’s thickness. Pan-Arctic observations of sea ice thickness have been obtained in recent years by satellite altimeters such as ICESat and Cryosat-2, but conventionally these data are only available during winter months. Our current understanding of basin-scale sea ice melting patterns during summer are limited to poorly-constrained ice-ocean model simulations, at a time when the ice cover is most dynamic, not to mention biological productivity and ice-ocean geochemical fluxes are most active. Moreover, advanced knowledge of ice conditions – thickness in particular – are critical for managing sustainable commercial enterprises, such as shipping and oil & gas extraction, in the northern polar seas. This project will develop a novel algorithm for obtaining sea ice thickness from satellite altimetry, even as the ice is melting. The conventional technique for separating sea ice from water (i.e. leads within the ice pack) relies on classifying altimeter waveforms through the shape of echoes, but breaks down when meltwater ponds forming at the ice surface appear the same as leads. However, pilot research alongside partners from the Canadian Ice Service (CIS) has demonstrated that other characteristics of the Cryosat-2 echoes, particularly the calibrated backscatter coefficient of the radar, can separate ice from ocean regardless of the surface melting state. Arctic-SummIT will develop this exciting discovery into a rigorous method for measuring sea ice thickness during summer months. By the end of the project, a unique, pan-Arctic sea ice thickness product will be produced for July-September over the full Cryosat-2 data record: 2011-2018+, filling the summer ‘gap’ we have presently. Exchange of sea ice between the central Arctic Ocean and, for instance, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) or Fram Strait will then be determined from the product of ice volume from Cryosat-2, and high-resolution ice drift speed obtained from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery including the ESA Sentinel-1 constellation and the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) RADARSAT-2. Seasonal ice volume fluxes will be made available to the academic community, alongside the new summer sea ice thickness product, through an online portal hosted via ESA at the University of Bristol. |
| ARKTALAS HOAVVA PROJECT | The multi-disciplinary, long-term, satellite-based Earth Observations (EO) form a tremendous synergy of data and information products that should to be more systematically and consistently explored, from the short synoptic time scales to the [...] | NANSEN ENVIRONMENTAL AND REMOTE SENSING CENTER (NO) | Science | cryosphere, ocean science cluster, oceans, polar science cluster, science | The multi-disciplinary, long-term, satellite-based Earth Observations (EO) form a tremendous synergy of data and information products that should to be more systematically and consistently explored, from the short synoptic time scales to the longer decadal time scales. This lays the rationale for the ESA funded Arktalas Hoavva study project. A stepwise multi-modal analyses framework approach benefitting from native resolution satellite observations together with complementary in-situ data, model fields, analyses and visualization system and data assimilation tools will be applied. Following this approach, the overall goal is to remove knowledge gaps and advance the insight and quantitative understanding of sea ice, ocean and atmosphere interactive processes and their mutual feedback across a broad range of temporal and spatial scales. In turn, four major existing interlinked Arctic Scientific research Challenges (ASC) will be investigated, including: ASC-1: Characterize Arctic Amplification and its impact (ASC-1) Central elements (not exclusive) are: – reduction in sea ice extent and concentration; – changes in albedo; – changes in the radiation balance; – increased air temperature; – delayed onset of sea ice freezing; – early onset of sea ice melting; – increasing area of melt ponds and polynias; – increased lead fraction; – changes in snow cover and SWE; – changes in ocean-atmosphere momentum, heat exchange and gas exchanges; – reduction in fast ice area; – thinning of sea ice thickness; – changes in optical conditions in the upper ocean with influence on the biology and marine ecosystem; – more favourable conditions for sea ice drift; – more meltwater; – larger fetch; – enhanced wave-sea ice interaction; – more wave induced sea ice break-up; – modifications to atmospheric boundary layer and changes in weather pattern; – influence on Arctic vortex and hence teleconnection to mid-latitudes. ASC-2: Characterize the impact of more persistent and larger area open water on sea ice dynamics Building on ASC-1, this is associated with: – increasing momentum transfer to the upper ocean leading to more turbulent mixing and possibly entrainment of warm Atlantic Water below the halocline; – increasing Ekman effects; – changes in sea ice growth, salt rejection and halocline formation; – larger fetch and lower frequency waves penetrating further into the ice covered regions leading to more floe-break-up; – increasing lead fraction and more sea ice melting; – reduction in sea ice flow size, age, thicknesses and extent and subsequent change in sea ice mechanical behaviour; – possibly more abundance of internal waves and mesoscale and sub-mesoscale eddies generated in the open ocean with subsequent abilities to propagate into the ice covered regions leading to changes in sea ice deformation and dynamics. ASC-3: Understand, characterize and predict the impact of extreme event storms in sea-ice formation Growing areas of open water within the Arctic Ocean and the neighbouring seas will be more effectively exposed to extreme events. Cold air outbreak and polar lows, for instance, are known to have strong impact in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ), including; – enhanced momentum transfer and vertical mixing; – enhanced sea ice formation; – enhanced formation of unstable stratification in the atmospheric boundary layer; – more low cloud formations changing the radiation balance; – set up abnormal wave field to strengthen wave induced sea ice break-up; – abnormal impact on the pycnocline and subsequent entrainment of heat into the upper mixed. A central question is eventually whether the Arctic amplification will trigger increasing frequency of occurrences and strength of extremes. ASC-4: Understand, characterize and predict the Arctic ocean spin-up The ongoing Arctic amplification and subsequent changes, mutual interactions and feedback mechanisms are also expected to influence the basin scale atmospheric and ocean circulation within the Arctic Ocean. In particular, this will address: – freshwater distribution and transport; – importance of Ekman pumping; – changes in water mass properties; – changes in upper ocean stratification and mixing; – changes in sub-surface heat exchange; – possibly more abundance of mesoscale and sub-mesoscale eddies and internal waves generated in the open ocean with subsequent abilities to propagate into the sea ice covered regions. The Arktalas Hoavva project kicked-off 9 July 2019 and will be executed over a 24 months period through the following seven interconnected tasks with mutual input-output feeds as schematically illustrated in the figure below. One of the major outcomes of the project is six dedicated research papers emerging from Task 3 that are specifically addressing the Arctic Scientific Challenges. These papers will be published in peer review journals. Moreover, the project will develop a visualization portal in polar-stereographic configuration that will be connected to the Arktalas data archive and allow users to access and make use of the Arktalas satellite-based, in-situ and model-based dataset during the project. |
| CryoSat Plus For Oceans (CP4O) | The “CryoSat Plus for Oceans” (CP4O) project, supported by the ESA Support to Science Element (STSE) Programme and by CNES, was dedicated to the exploitation of CryoSat-2 data over the open and coastal ocean. The general objectives of the CP4O [...] | SATELLITE OCEANOGRAPHIC CONSULTANTS LTD. (GB) | Science | altimeter, coastal zone, oceans, polar science cluster, SAR, SARin, science | The “CryoSat Plus for Oceans” (CP4O) project, supported by the ESA Support to Science Element (STSE) Programme and by CNES, was dedicated to the exploitation of CryoSat-2 data over the open and coastal ocean. The general objectives of the CP4O project were: To build a sound scientific basis for new oceanographic applications of CryoSat-2 data; to generate and evaluate new methods and products that will enable the full exploitation of the capabilities of the CryoSat-2 SIRAL altimeter, and to ensure that the scientific return of the CryoSat-2 mission is maximised. However, whilst the results from CP4O were highly promising and confirmed the potential of SAR altimetry to support new scientific and operational oceanographic applications, it was also apparent that further work was needed in some key areas to fully realise the original project objectives. Thus, after the end of the Project in 2015, additional work in four areas has been supported by ESA under a first Contract Change Notice (CCN): Developments in SARin data processing for Coastal Altimetry. Implementation of a Regional Tidal Atlas for the Arctic Ocean. Improvements to the SAMOSA retracker: Implementation and Evaluation & Optimised Thermal Noise Estimation. Extended evaluation of CryoSat-2 SAR data for Coastal Applications. This CCN ended in 2016 and was followed by a second Contract Change Notice, currently on-going, on the improvement of the arctic ocean bathymetry and regional tidal atlas. A detailed description of the specific objectives under each of the four sub-themes (Open Ocean Altimetry, Polar Ocean Altimetry, Coastal Zone Altimetry & Sea-Floor Altimetry) can be found at http://www.satoc.eu/projects/CP4O/ |
| CryoSat-2 for enhanced sea-ice thickness and ocean observations in Antarctica: “CryoSat+ Antarctic Ocean” | Why has Antarctic sea ice experienced a small increase in extent over the past decades in stark contrast to the rapid decline observed in the Arctic? What role are the Southern Ocean and sea ice playing in controlling the Deep Water formation [...] | MULLARD SPACE SCIENCE LABORATORY-UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON (GB) | Science | Antarctica, oceans, polar science cluster, science, snow and ice | Why has Antarctic sea ice experienced a small increase in extent over the past decades in stark contrast to the rapid decline observed in the Arctic? What role are the Southern Ocean and sea ice playing in controlling the Deep Water formation and thermohaline circulation and the melting of the Antarctic ice shelves and sea level rise? Only satellite remote sensing can provide the pan-Antarctic view required to fully understand these changes to the Southern Hemisphere’s sea ice and ocean fields in response to anthropogenic warming. Over the last 8 years CryoSat-2 (CS2) has allowed a radically new view of the ice covered Arctic Ocean, providing us with the first pan-Arctic sea ice thickness maps, dynamic topography and geostrophic currents, and indirectly a wealth of geophysical products ranging from Eddy kinetic energy (EKE), Ekman upwelling / downwelling, to snow on sea ice, and improved tidal models, or better resolved bathymetry at the bottom ocean. In Antarctica similar products have emerged but remain at a lower level of maturity. Specific challenges in the processing of the radar signal result from the complex surface characteristics of the ice covered Southern Ocean such as the sea ice flooding from snow loading or the highly fragmented and divergent marginal ice zone like nature of the sea ice cover. In addition, validation of sea ice and ocean products is hindered by the observational gap of in-situ and airborne data in the Southern Hemisphere. The overarching objective of this project is to address these issues by developing new approaches and algorithms that could be implemented in ESA’s CryoSat-2 ground segment processor to produce state of the art sea ice and ocean products that will be validated against a comprehensive dataset of airborne and in-situ measurements and result in scientific progress for our understanding of the Antarctic Climate system and ocean circulation. The main objectives of this project are: Perform a thorough review of the scientific and technical challenges Survey, collect and document all relevant data sets needed for the successful development of novel, observational and model-based snow thickness products. Develop, inter-compare and validate multiple approaches to sea surface height and sea ice thickness retrieval on Antarctic sea ice. Specific approaches to be considered are: Novel LRM/SAR/SARIN methods for leads, polynyas, open ocean and sea ice classification Along-track processors over leads, polynyas and open ocean for sea surface estimation Along-track processors over sea ice floes for sea ice thickness estimation Pan-Antarctic gridded products of dynamic ocean topography and geostrophic currents Pan-Antarctic gridded products of sea ice thickness Preliminary inter-comparison of along-track and gridded products developed in steps b-e Validation over selected tracks and key regions against in-situ and airborne data. Implement the algorithms developed above and assess their impact and usefulness in addressing the identified scientific challenges. Build a scientific roadmap for future development and evolution of knowledge about the snow layer on Arctic sea ice. The main outputs of the project will be: An Experimental Dataset and accompanying User Manual Algorithm description documents Validation reports An Impact Assessment A scientific Roadmap The biggest challenges the project faces are the difficulties in validating data products against sparse or preferentially sampled, in-situ data, and in proving that a new method is measurably better than an existing method when applied to inherently noisy data. |
| CryoSat+ Mountain Glaciers | The purpose of this project is to quantify the volume, mass change and contribution to sea level change of mountain glaciers using dataset from the CryoSat satellite radar altimeter. Here we propose to generate mountain glacier elevation and [...] | UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (GB) | Science | CryoSat, cryosphere, polar science cluster, science | The purpose of this project is to quantify the volume, mass change and contribution to sea level change of mountain glaciers using dataset from the CryoSat satellite radar altimeter. Here we propose to generate mountain glacier elevation and elevation change by (i) evaluating the ability of the current CryoSat products, (ii) investigating and implementing processing strategies such as FBR filtering, novel retracking, swath processing, in order to improve the current CryoSat products, (iii) validating elevations and quantifying their errors. The resulting elevation and elevation change will be used to generate estimates of glacier volume and mass change and determine mountain glacier’s contribution to sea level change during the life period of CryoSat. We will integrate our results with existing studies of glaciers change to build a spatial and temporal picture of changes affecting mountain glaciers that will be advertise via scientific presentation and submission as journals articles. Our world is losing ice at record rate Glaciers All Over the World Are Shrinking Fast—See for Yourself Global ice loss accelerating at record rate, study finds |
| CRYOSPHERE VIRTUAL LABORATORY | Despite considerable research progress in understanding the polar region over the last decades, many gaps remain in observational capabilities and scientific knowledge. These gaps limit present ability to understand and interpret on-going [...] | NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS (NO) | Science | cryosphere, polar science cluster, science | Despite considerable research progress in understanding the polar region over the last decades, many gaps remain in observational capabilities and scientific knowledge. These gaps limit present ability to understand and interpret on-going processes, prediction capabilities and forecasting in the Arctic region, thereby hampering evidence-based decision-making. Addressing these gaps represents a key priority in order to establish a solid scientific basis for understanding earth science processes in the Polar Regions. The Cryosphere Virtual Lab aims at supporting the cryosphere scientific community to address those gaps promoting an Open Science approach, where sharing of data (e.g., EO satellite, in-situ, airborne, ancillary, high level products), knowledge, tools and results is at the center of the science process. Since more than 20 years, “Earth Observation” (EO) satellites developed or operated by ESA and other satellite operators are providing a wealth of data. The Sentinel missions, along with the Copernicus Contributing Missions, Earth Explorers and many other missions provide routine monitoring of our environment at the global scale, thereby delivering an unprecedented amount of data. This expanding operational capability of global monitoring from space, combined with data from long-term EO archive (e.g. ERS, Envisat, Landsat etc.), in-situ networks and models provide scientists with unprecedented insight into how our oceans, atmosphere, land and ice operate and interact as part of an interconnected Earth System. While the availability of the growing volume of environmental data from space represents a unique opportunity for science, general R&D, and applications, it also poses a major challenge to achieve its full potential in terms of efficiently accessing and combining the different datasets (EO data, airborne, in-situ…) and sharing scientific knowledge, tools and results in order to speed up the scientific process. Firstly, because the emergence of large volumes of data raises new issues in terms of discovery, access, exploitation, and visualization, with implications on how scientists do “data-intensive” Earth Science. Secondly, because the inherent growing diversity and complexity of data and users, whereby different communities – having different needs, methods, languages and protocols – need to cooperate and share knowledge to make sense of a wealth of data of different nature (e.g. EO, in-situ, model), structure, format and error budgets and speed up the scientific development process. Responding to these technological and community challenges requires the development of new ways of working, capitalizing on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) developments to facilitate the exploitation, analysis, sharing, mining and visualization of massive EO data sets and high-level products within Europe and beyond following an Open Science approach. Evolution in information technology provide new opportunities to provide more significant support to EO data exploitation within the Open Science paradigm. In this context, new ITC developments and the concept of Virtual laboratories make scientific networking, on-line collaboration, sharing of data, tools and knowledge among scientific communities not only possible, but also mainstream. The Cryosphere Virtual Laboratory (CVL) will become a community open science tool, where EO satellite data and derived products can be accessed, visualised, processed, shared and validated. In order to achieve this objective, the CVL shall provide access and facilitate sharing of relevant space and non-space data (aerial, UAV, coastal radar, in-situ etc.). Following an Open Science approach, the CVL shall mainly be designed to support scientist to access and share EO data, high-level products, in-situ data, and open source code (algorithms, models) to carry out scientific studies and projects, sharing results, knowledge and resources. The Cryosphere Virtual Laboratory will form part of an ecosystem of thematic laboratories capitalizing on ICT technologies to maximize the scientific exploitation of EO satellite data from past and future missions. |
| Development of pan-European Multi-Sensor Snow Mapping Methods Exploiting Sentinel-1 | The main objective is the development, implementation and validation of methods and tools for generating maps of snowmelt area based on SAR data of the Sentinel-1 mission and the combination with snow products derived from optical sensors of [...] | ENVEO – ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH OBSERVATION GMBH (AT) | Science | applications, polar science cluster, SAR, science | The main objective is the development, implementation and validation of methods and tools for generating maps of snowmelt area based on SAR data of the Sentinel-1 mission and the combination with snow products derived from optical sensors of Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 missions. The developed algorithm will be used to generate multi-sensor pan-European snow products. A key activity of the project is the development of a retrieval algorithm for mapping extent of wet snow areas which exploits the full technical and operational potential of the Sentinel-1 mission. Round robin experiments between available algorithms will be carried out to select the optimum algorithm. The focus will be on the use of Interferometric Wide swath mode data which is the standard operation mode of Sentinel-1 over land surfaces. Particular attention will be paid to the capability of dual polarization data, and the exploitation of the high spatial resolution and geometric accuracy of the Sentinel-1 data. Because C-band SAR is not sensitive to dry snow, the combination with snow maps derived from optical sensor is required in order to obtain complete pan-European snow maps. We plan to use data of the Sentinel-3 sensors SLSTR and OLCI for the pan-European snow maps, and coincident Sentinel-2 based snow maps (with high spatial resolution) primarily for evaluation and assessment of uncertainty for the combined Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-3 snow product. The method for mapping wet snow using Sentinel-1 developed within this project is the basis for the SAR wet snow service implemented within the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service – pan-European High Resolution Snow and Ice Service – Part II. |
| Earth Observation for Surface Mass Balance (EO4SMB) | The aim of the Earth Observation for Surface Mass Balance (EO4SMB) study is to investigate the feasibility of measuring ice sheet Surface Mass Balance from space.
Accurate measurements of Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance (SMB) are key to [...] |
UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER ENVIROMENT CENTRE (GB) | Science | Glaciers and Ice Sheets, polar science cluster, science | The aim of the Earth Observation for Surface Mass Balance (EO4SMB) study is to investigate the feasibility of measuring ice sheet Surface Mass Balance from space. Accurate measurements of Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance (SMB) are key to understanding the response of ice sheets to a changing polar climate. However, traditionally information on SMB has come from climate model simulations alone. This exploratory study will therefore investigate whether a new generation of satellite instruments can be used to directly quantify SMB, thereby addressing the growing need within the polar community for such data. In the EO4SMB study, we will focus primarily on exploiting measurements from ESA’s ice mission, CryoSat-2, to derive a portfolio of SMB parameters, which will cover the period 2010-2020. The study will focus on developing, validating and interpreting measurements at three test sites in Greenland, producing a proof-of-concept prototype SMB product, and undertaking several science use cases. Alongside this core activity, we shall also develop two exploratory techniques to leverage more information from satellite measurements; firstly by combining altimetry measurements with gravimetry data, and secondly by exploring the potential of Deep Learning to extract additional information from the CryoSat-2 satellite data. Through this project, we aim to demonstrate the feasibility of measuring SMB from space, and thereby establish the firm foundations for future operationally-derived SMB products. |
| EO4PAC – Earth Observation for Permafrost dominated Arctic Coasts | EO4PAC project aims at the development of a roadmap for the next generation of the Arctic Coastal Dynamics database. The focus is on complementation of in situ records with satellite data across the entire Arctic. | b.geos GmbH (AT) | Science | Arctic, coastal zone, permafrost challenge, polar science cluster | EO4PAC project aims at the development of a roadmap for the next generation of the Arctic Coastal Dynamics database. The focus is on complementation of in situ records with satellite data across the entire Arctic. |
| GLACIERS MASS BALANCE INTERCOMPARISON EXERCISE (GLAMBIE) | GlaMBIE project builds on nascent efforts within the IACS working group on Regional Assessments of Glacier Mass Change (RAGMAC, https://cryosphericsciences.org/activities/wg-ragmac/) to setup and coordinate an intercomparison exercise of [...] | UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH (CH) | Science | Glaciers and Ice Sheets, polar science cluster, science | GlaMBIE project builds on nascent efforts within the IACS working group on Regional Assessments of Glacier Mass Change (RAGMAC, https://cryosphericsciences.org/activities/wg-ragmac/) to setup and coordinate an intercomparison exercise of regional glacier mass changes from glaciological in-situ measurements and various remote sensing sources, including geodetic DEM differencing, altimetry, and gravimetry. Under the guidance of Scientific Advisory Committee (staffed with the RAGMAC co-chairs), an assessment framework, algorithm, and environment will be developed to compile and analyse the regional glacier mass-change results from the active research groups to come up with new consensus estimates of regional and global glacier mass changes and related uncertainties. |
| GOCE+ ANTARCTICA | The overarching objective of this activity is to explore the potential of GOCE to improve lithospheric modelling over Antarctica, to reduce uncertainties in bedrock topography and to study the implication on GIA modelling based on the derived [...] | UNIVERSITY OF KIEL (DE) | Science | Antarctica, GOCE, polar science cluster, science | The overarching objective of this activity is to explore the potential of GOCE to improve lithospheric modelling over Antarctica, to reduce uncertainties in bedrock topography and to study the implication on GIA modelling based on the derived information. This ismotivated by recent scientific developments, applications and new products that have emerged from ESA’s GOCE mission. In particular,a new data set, provided through the GOCE+ Theme 2 activity (Bouman et al 2014), should enable geophysical application and modelling over Antarctica with the goal to better understand and model the Earth’s interior and its dynamic processes, contributing to new insights into the geodynamics associated with the lithosphere, mantle composition and rheology. This activity shall investigate the potential to determine bedrock topography of the grounded part of the ice sheet with high spatial resolution and accuracy. Furthermore, the activity shall determine – with additional geophysical data and information – the thermal structure or composition of the upper mantle, and hereby to link crust and upper mantle. This will in turn allow to study Earth’s rebound (glacial isostatic adjustment, GIA) over Antarctica from the several kilometre thick ice sheets that covered Antarctica. |
| ICE SHEET MASS BALANCE INTERCOMPARISON EXERCISE PHASE III (IMBIE-3) | The Ice sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise (IMBIE) was established in 2011 as a community effort to reconcile satellite measurements of ice sheet mass balance. The purpose of IMBIE is to reduce uncertainties in ice sheet mass balance [...] | UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, SCHOOL OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT (GB) | climate, Glaciers and Ice Sheets, polar science cluster, science, sea surface topography | The Ice sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise (IMBIE) was established in 2011 as a community effort to reconcile satellite measurements of ice sheet mass balance. The purpose of IMBIE is to reduce uncertainties in ice sheet mass balance estimation through community efforts, in order to reconcile different satellite-based measurements of ice sheet mass balance and help constrain future projections of sea level rise. IMBIE is an international collaboration between scientists, supported by European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), primarily as a contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), but also to provide critical information on global sea levels for a wide range of stakeholders. IMBIE has led to improved confidence in the measurement of ice sheet mass balance and the associated global sea-level contribution. The improvements were achieved through combination of ice sheet imbalance estimates developed from the independent satellite techniques of altimetry, gravimetry and the input-output method. Going forwards, IMBIE provides a framework for assessing ice sheet mass balance, and has an explicit aim to widen participation to enable the entire scientific community to become involved. The previous two phases led to a reduction in ice sheet mass balance uncertainties and showed a 6-fold increase in the rate of mass loss during the satellite era. In addition to continuing this exercise, the new phase of IMBIE includes new objectives designed to provide more robust and regular estimates of ice sheet mass balance and their contribution to global mean sea level rise. These new objectives are to: • Include data from new satellite missions including GRACE-FO and ICESAT-2 • Provide annual assessments of ice sheet mass balance • Partition changes into dynamics and surface mass balance processes • Produce regional assessments • Examine the remaining biases between the three geodetic techniques | |
| ICEFLOW: Short-term movements in the Cryosphere | UNIVERSITY OF OSLO (NO) | Science | cryosphere, living planet fellowship, polar science cluster, science | ||
| Mass balance and ice dynamics of Antarctic Peninsula glaciers (MIT-AP) | Living Planet Fellowship research project carried out by Thorsten Seehaus.
Pronounced climatic changes have been observed at the Antarctic Peninsula within the past decades and its glaciers and ice caps have been identified as a significant [...] |
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erl (DE) | Science | Antarctica, climate, cryosphere, Glaciers and Ice Sheets, living planet fellowship, polar science cluster, SAR | Living Planet Fellowship research project carried out by Thorsten Seehaus. Pronounced climatic changes have been observed at the Antarctic Peninsula within the past decades and its glaciers and ice caps have been identified as a significant contributor to global sea level rise. Dynamic thinning and speed-up was reported for various tidewater glaciers on the western Antarctic Peninsula. On the east coast, several ice shelves disintegrated since 1995. Consequently, former tributary glaciers showed increased flow velocities due to the missing buttressing, leading to substantial ice mass loss. Various studies were carried out to quantify the ice mass loss and ice discharge to the ocean at the Antarctic Peninsula using different approaches. However, the results are still subject to substantial uncertainties, in particular for the northern section of the Antarctic Peninsula (<70°S). Thus, the aim of this project is to carry out an enhanced analysis of glacier mass balances and ice dynamics throughout the Antarctic Peninsula (<70°S) using various remote sensing data, in-situ measurements and model output. By analyzing bistatic SAR satellite acquisitions, an unprecedented spatial coverage with surface elevation change information at the study area will be achieved to compute multi-temporal geodetic glacier mass balances on regional and glacier scales. Information on ice dynamics will be derived from multi-mission SAR acquisitions using offset tracking techniques. In combination with latest ice thickness data sets the spatiotemporal variability of the ice discharge to the ocean will be evaluated. By including information from in-situ measurements and model output of atmospheric and oceanic parameters, driving factors of the obtained change patterns will be assessed to enhance the understanding of the ongoing change processes. The project results will contribute fundamental information to international initiatives and institutions like IMBIE, IPCC and WGMS and address several “Advancing Earth System Science Challenges of the Living Planet”, defined by ESA. |
| MethEO – Methane emissions in the Northern Hemisphere by applying both data from Earth Observing (EO) satellites and global atmospheric methane inversion model estimates | The project will investigate Northern Hemisphere methane (CH4) sources and their connection to the soil freezing and thawing at high latitudes. We will innovatively combine methods for monitoring of CH4 (methane) emissions in the Northern [...] | FINNISH METEOROLOGICAL INSTITUTE (FI) | Science | atmosphere, atmosphere science cluster, biosphere, carbon cycle, carbon science cluster, permafrost challenge, permanently open call, polar science cluster, science, Sentinel-5P, SMOS | The project will investigate Northern Hemisphere methane (CH4) sources and their connection to the soil freezing and thawing at high latitudes. We will innovatively combine methods for monitoring of CH4 (methane) emissions in the Northern Hemisphere by applying both data from Earth Observing (EO) satellites and global atmospheric methane inversion model estimates. The EO data consists of global soil F/T estimates obtained from the European Space Agency (ESA) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission (from the SMOS+ Frozen soil project) as well as retrievals of atmospheric methane obtained from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and the newly launched Sentinel 5 Precursor TROPOMI (S5P-TROPOMI) observations. The project has been kicked-off the 5th September. A first informal progress meeting has been on 20th December. First results have been shown and look promising. |
| PHAB-IV: PHAse-Based sentinel-1 Ice Velocity | The project aims to develop the technical basis for an advanced Sentinel-1 Ice Velocity (IV) product for ice sheets and ice caps with improved spatial resolution and accuracy, based on Sentinel-1 interferometric phase measurements. | Technical University of Denmark (DK) | Science | Glaciers and Ice Sheets, permanently open call, polar science cluster, science, Sentinel-1 | The project aims to develop the technical basis for an advanced Sentinel-1 Ice Velocity (IV) product for ice sheets and ice caps with improved spatial resolution and accuracy, based on Sentinel-1 interferometric phase measurements. |
| Polar+ Ice Shelf | The aim of this project is to produce a suite of Earth Observation datasets to characterise how ice shelves in Antarctica have changed over the last decade, and to make use of these data sets to investigate the physical processes driving this [...] | UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, SCHOOL OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT (GB) | Science | Glaciers and Ice Sheets, polar science cluster, science | The aim of this project is to produce a suite of Earth Observation datasets to characterise how ice shelves in Antarctica have changed over the last decade, and to make use of these data sets to investigate the physical processes driving this evolution. This project will exploit the 25-year record of ESA satellite observations, including SMOS, S-1, S-2, and swath mode processed CryoSat-2 data, to produce a provides a comprehensive record of ice shelf change that extends the temporal coverage and improves the spatial resolution with which we can study Antarctic Ice Shelves. This will reveal small scale ice shelf features such as the propagation of cracks along the ice shelf surface, deep sub-shelf meltwater channels that can erode ice locally by up to 200 meters, and changes in the calving front and grounding line location. These datasets will improve our understanding of the way in which ice shelves around Antarctica are changing today, which we will use to discover new insights about the physical mechanisms driving change and affecting the future stability of ice shelves in this remote and inaccessible continent. |
| Polar+ Snow on Sea ice | The project aims to develop and validate different approaches to retrieve snow thickness over the sea ice; to develop a new prototype processor; and to produce and validate an experimental dataset of snow thickness over the Arctic. | MULLARD SPACE SCIENCE LABORATORY-UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON (GB) | Science | polar science cluster, science, snow and ice | The project aims to develop and validate different approaches to retrieve snow thickness over the sea ice; to develop a new prototype processor; and to produce and validate an experimental dataset of snow thickness over the Arctic. |
| Pre-Operational Sentinel-3 snow and ice products (SICE) | Land ice mass loss is the largest source of global sea level rise. Since 1992, two thirds of sea level contribution from land ice comes from the Arctic. Roughly half of Greenland ice sheet mass loss is from increased surface melting. The [...] | GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF DENMARK AND GREENLAND (DK) | Science | permanently open call, polar science cluster, science | Land ice mass loss is the largest source of global sea level rise. Since 1992, two thirds of sea level contribution from land ice comes from the Arctic. Roughly half of Greenland ice sheet mass loss is from increased surface melting. The fraction from surface melting is even higher for smaller Arctic ice masses. The dominant energy source for melt is absorbed sunlight controlled by surface albedo. Bare ice and snow impurities, including biological effects present strong melt amplifiers through surface albedo. NASA MODIS sensors provide a climate data record (CDR) of snow extent and ice albedo since 2000 with the hosting Terra and Aqua missions now several years beyond design lifetime. The NOAA VIIRS sensor bridges the need for a satellite-derived albedo. However, Copernicus Sentinel-3 also fulfils the WMO essential climate variable mandate and for decades to come with the following additional advantages over VIIRS and MODIS: 1. The Sentinel-3 OLCI instrument offers higher (300 m) finest spatial resolution (SR). The finest SR for MODIS is 500 m. For VIIRS, the finest SR is 750m. 2. Sentinel-3 OLCI and SLSTR instruments offer more spectral coverage than MODIS or VIIRS, with the OLCI channel 21 being of particular value being located in the part of the spectrum most sensitive to snow grain size. Neither MODIS nor VIIRS measure in this spectral channel. 3. The algorithms proposed here are a full physics based retrievals vs often used empirical techniques. 4. The recently completed Scientific Exploitation of Operational Missions (SEOM) Sentinel-3 for Science (S34Sci) Land Study 1: Snow (S3 Snow) albedo algorithm outperforms NASA MODIS MOD10A1 product for dry clean snow. Main objectives / end goals of the study are: 1. deliver an automated open source processing chain using Sentinel-3 OLCI and SLSTR sensors to determine a dry/wet snow and clean/polluted bare ice spectral and broadband optical albedo 1 km daily product for land ice (glaciers, ice caps, ice sheet). 2. determine an optimal cloud clearing process for cryospheric application leveraging cloud ID insight from SEOM Sentinel-3 for Science, Land Study 1: Snow 3. test the above for application to sea ice (as opposed to land ice). 4. implement terrain correction for slopes under 4 degrees typical of more than 90% of land ice. Justification: terrain slope and azimuth has a strong impact on snow and ice anisotropic reflectance in optical wavelengths. Above 4 degrees remains in development elsewhere, and does not comprise a significant portion of the ice sheet. 5. validate the algorithms using field data. 6. deliver daily 15 March – 30 September 1km pan-Arctic glacierized region albedo products for years 2017 and 2018 via the PROMICE.org web portal. 7. demonstrate a pre-operational near-realtime (under 6 hours latency) capability for Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B for delivering spectral and broadband albedo. |
| Sentinel-3 for Science, Land Study 1: Snow | This SEOM study is to develop, implement and validate algorithms for deriving several key snow parameters from Sentinel 3 optical satellite data, appropriate for addressing ESA’s Cryosphere challenge (Seasonal snow, lake/river ice and land ice, [...] | GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF DENMARK AND GREENLAND (DK) | Science | cryosphere, polar science cluster, science, Sentinel-3 | This SEOM study is to develop, implement and validate algorithms for deriving several key snow parameters from Sentinel 3 optical satellite data, appropriate for addressing ESA’s Cryosphere challenge (Seasonal snow, lake/river ice and land ice, their effect on the climate system, water resources, energy and carbon cycles: the representation of terrestrial cryosphere in land surface, atmosphere and climate models). This study takes a step toward achieving GCOS snow observation goals, effectively linking snow cover and albedo essential climate variables (ECVs) while developing capacity to extend snow climate data records (CDRs). This work aims to assimilate satellite optical data in a snow model by pushing data assimilation capabilities to the near real time frame and thus serving operational models to improve hydrological and weather forecasting skill and e.g. flood and avalanche hazard management. |
| Sentinel-3 Performance Improvement for ICE Sheets (SPICE) | SPICE (Sentinel-3 Performance improvement for ICE sheets) is a 2-year study, which began in September 2015 and has been funded by ESA’s SEOM (Scientific Exploitation of Operational Missions) program. The project aims to contribute to the [...] | UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, SCHOOL OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT (GB) | Science | altimeter, CryoSat, cryosphere, polar science cluster, Sentinel-3 | SPICE (Sentinel-3 Performance improvement for ICE sheets) is a 2-year study, which began in September 2015 and has been funded by ESA’s SEOM (Scientific Exploitation of Operational Missions) program. The project aims to contribute to the development and evaluation of novel SAR altimetry processing methodologies over ice sheets, primarily using dedicated CryoSat-2 SAR acquisitions made at several sites in Antarctica and in Greenland. SPICE developed novel algorithms to address four high level objectives: 1) Assess and improve Delay-Doppler altimeter processing for ice sheets; 2) Assess and develop SAR waveform retrackers for ice sheets; 3) Evaluate the performance of SAR altimetry relative to conventional pulse limited altimetry; 4) Assess the impact on SAR altimeter measurements of radar wave interaction with the snowpack. |
| Southern Ocean Freshwater (SO Fresh) | Southern Ocean Freshwater (SO Fresh) is a recent ESA funded project (2021-2023) included in the Polar Cluster Initiative. Polar Cluster aims at establishing collaboration with the existing projects in polar areas to put into value of unique, [...] | ARGANS LIMITED (GB) | Science | Antarctica, oceans, polar science cluster, science, SMOS, SST | Southern Ocean Freshwater (SO Fresh) is a recent ESA funded project (2021-2023) included in the Polar Cluster Initiative. Polar Cluster aims at establishing collaboration with the existing projects in polar areas to put into value of unique, added-value capabilities from ESA missions and remote sensing missions in general. SO FRESH goals are to improve our understanding of the different processes governed or affected by freshwater fluxes taking place at the Southern Ocean. SO Fresh scientific objectives are based in four specific case studies aiming at: to improve our understanding on the changes in Sea Ice; to characterize the drivers of the formation of the Weddell Polynya in 2016-2017; to assess the impact on Sea Ice melting due to changes in coastal processes; to analyse the formation of deep water via remote sensing variables. Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) is a key ocean variable for the four case studies. SO Fresh will explore the potential of using SSS in combination with other ocean variables (i.e. Sea Surface Temperature, Sea Surface Height Anomalies) to enhance the state of the art of SO freshwater fluxes, Sea Surface Density variability and Water Mass Transformation Rates. With lessons learned in most recent advancements in SSS processing in the context of ESA SMOS Mission, SO Fresh will produce a dedicated SSS product Southern Ocean. Some of the methodologies to improve SSS data around the Antarctic peninsula may include nodal sampling, Brightness temperature fusion and enhanced debiased non-Bayesian retrievals. SO Fresh started in May 2021, and the first set of data is expected to be available for distribution by the beginning of 2022.To keep in touch with SO Fresh Team, follow the link or send email to sofresh@argans.co.uk. |
| Southern Ocean-Ice Shelf Interactions (SO-ICE) | The European Space Agency (ESA) Southern Ocean-Ice Shelf Interactions (SO-ICE) project is a collaborative research project bringing together the ESA Polar+ Ice Shelves and 4D Antarctica projects, and the European Commission Southern Ocean Carbon [...] | UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, SCHOOL OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT (GB) | climate, Glaciers and Ice Sheets, polar science cluster, science, snow and ice | The European Space Agency (ESA) Southern Ocean-Ice Shelf Interactions (SO-ICE) project is a collaborative research project bringing together the ESA Polar+ Ice Shelves and 4D Antarctica projects, and the European Commission Southern Ocean Carbon and Heat Impact on Climate (SO-CHIC) project, in order to improve understanding of the processes controlling ice-ocean interactions in Antarctica. This project will use state-of-the-art Earth Observation techniques to measure the flow and thickness of ice shelves in the Weddell Sea region of Antarctica. Observations and modelling of ocean circulation will then be used investigate how the ocean is both driving and responding to these ice shelf changes. By bringing together these ocean and ice systems, this project will lead to substantial improvements in our understanding of ice shelf-ocean interactions across a range of spatial and temporal scales, which is critical to understanding and predicting the response of the ice sheet to a changing climate. | |
| STSE CryoSat+ CryoTop Evolution | The aim of the CryoTop Evolution is to generate L2, L3 and L4 products over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets from swath processing of CryoSat SARIn mode data.
The CryoTop datasets contain surface elevation generated from swath [...] |
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (GB) | Science | CryoSat, cryosphere, polar science cluster, science | The aim of the CryoTop Evolution is to generate L2, L3 and L4 products over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets from swath processing of CryoSat SARIn mode data. The CryoTop datasets contain surface elevation generated from swath processing of CryoSat-2 measurement. The CryoTop datasets also contain gridded products generated from the swath derived elevation, these are 2 Digital elevation models (500 m and 1 km posting) and 2 maps of rates of surface elevation change (500 m and 1 km posting) as well as associated errors. The swath elevation data are provided as NetCDF files following the naming convention of the original CryoSat-2 datafiles provided by the European Space Agency, the gridded products are provided as GeoTIFF files. The methodology and data format are described in the dataset user manual. In particular the CryoTop project has produced swath dataset elevation from baseline C data (2010 – 2016) over the Greenland ice sheet and DEM and rates of surface elevation change at 1 km and over the Antarctica ice sheet and DEM and DH/DT at 1 km. |
| STSE-ARCTIC+ THEME 5 – CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE YEAR OF POLAR PREDICTIONS (YOPP) | The A+5 study belongs to the STSE ARCTIC+ cluster of projects and specifically contributes to the Year of Polar Prediction (YoPP). A+5 is constructing a flexible system for Arctic Mission Benefit Analysis (ArcMBA) that evaluates in a [...] | THE INVERSION LAB THOMAS KAMINSKI CONSULTING (DE) | Science | polar science cluster, science, snow and ice | The A+5 study belongs to the STSE ARCTIC+ cluster of projects and specifically contributes to the Year of Polar Prediction (YoPP). A+5 is constructing a flexible system for Arctic Mission Benefit Analysis (ArcMBA) that evaluates in a mathematically rigorous fashion the observational constraints imposed by individual and groups of EO (and in situ) data products in using the quantitative network design (QND) approach. The assessment of the observation impact (added value) is performed in terms of the uncertainty reduction in seasonal predictions of sea ice area, sea ice and snow volume. Response functions for observations and target quantities are computed by the sea ice-ocean model of the Max Planck Institute (MPIOM) in a global setup with focus over the Arctic. The project started in June 2016 and has a duration of 18 months. First, preliminary assessments address CryoSat-2 sea ice thickness and sea ice freeboard products provided by AWI. The observation impact is quantified through reduction in the uncertainty for predicted sea ice conditions over three regions along the Northern Sea Route (see Figure). The study further plans a systematic assessment of the impact that characteristics of a synthetic snow depth product (sampling frequency and accuracy) will have on the performance of sea ice predictions. |
| Using deep learning with CryoSat radar altimetry to adjust elevations and map SURFace penetration (CryoSURF) | Using CryoSat-2 interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SARIn) altimetry together with NASA’s operation IceBridge and IceSat-2 Lidar data in a multi-layer neural network (NN) in order to enhance CryoSat-2 SARIn swath measurements. Further [...] | UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (GB) | Science | altimeter, CryoSat, permanently open call, polar science cluster, science, snow and ice | Using CryoSat-2 interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SARIn) altimetry together with NASA’s operation IceBridge and IceSat-2 Lidar data in a multi-layer neural network (NN) in order to enhance CryoSat-2 SARIn swath measurements. Further investigation will be carried out into the use of these corrections to derive surface condition state and change. The European Space Agency (ESA), Earthwave and The University of Edinburgh (UoE) have made significant progress with the completeness and accuracy of CryoSat-2 SAR-In Swath elevation models. However the scientific perfectionists in all of us strive for the next level using the latest technological tool set. Ice-sheets are a current contributor to sea-level rise and the fresh water they bring into the oceans can impact global oceanic circulation with global consequences (Vaughan et al., 2013). It is thus very important to monitor ice-sheet elevation and elevation change. Spaceborne Radar and Lidar sensors have revolutionised our ability to monitor the mass imbalance of the cryosphere globally and its contribution to sea level change (Shepherd et al., 2012). Lidar (NASA, 2018) is often used in local airborne campaigns to obtain precise elevation measurements however these campaigns have limited spatial and temporal coverage and are impacted by by weather. Radar performs in all weather conditions but suffers from uncertainties due to time-variable penetration into snow and firn (McMillan et al., 2016; Nilsson et al., 2015). This project uses CryoSat-2 radar altimetry elevation and NASA’s operation IceBridge local airborne Lidar together in a multi layer neural network (NN) to create a timeseries of maps of penetration of CryoSat-2 Swath radar altimetry into the snow and firn. The map will be across large regions of the Greenland margins where CryoSat-2 is in SARIn mode going back to CryoSat-2’s launch in 2010. In addition, IceSat-2 data will be added to the framework for the period post its launch in 2018 enabling maps across a wider range of months beyond the operating window of Operation IceBridge. As the penetration of the Ku microwave signal into the snow and firn relates to the condition of the surface, the maps generated during this project have the potential to be used to inform about surface conditions and change in surface conditions. Additionaly, the maps of penetration can be used to explore the impact of change in surface condition on Lidar and microwave signals and its impact on the use of radar and laser altimetry for the study of ice sheet mass balance and processes. |