A comparison of Geosat altimeter and synthetic aperture radar measurements over east Greenland pack ice

Abstract

Altimetry over sea ice has attracted attention as a possible source of geophysical information. However, the interpretation of altimeter data records over ice has been hampered by a lack of high-resolution imagery for comparison. In this paper we compare Geosat altimeter data along a track over pack ice east of Greenland with coincident synthetic aperture radar data obtained as part of the marginal ice zone experiment (MIZEX-87). Fuzzy-cluster analysis of altimeter pulse echo parameters delineates the marginal ice zone, pack ice and fast ice. Results demonstrate the possibility of operational altimetry products for monitoring large-scale pack ice structure.