SEA-ICE ALTIMETER PROCESSING SCHEME AT THE EODC

Sea ice presents a serious impediment to both shipping and off-shore operations in the polar regions. Since sea ice conditions can change within a matter of hours, near real time monitoring is required. Airborne data are available in some areas, but collection is expensive and coverage limited. Satellite images can provide wider coverage, but cloud cover, darkness and the need for rapid processing and dissemination can limit their use. Information on sea ice cover over longer periods is needed for global climate monitoring. Microwave sensors provide the most practical means of monitoring global sea ice cover since they can operate both at night and day and observe through clouds. Previous studies have concentrated on the use of passive microwave data. Here we discuss the routine monitoring of sea ice using the ERS-1 radar altimeter. The low data rate and somewhat simple nature of the data, lend themselves to the mapping of global sea ice cover and to operational applications. We review the processing adopted at the U.K. EODC.