Applications of Satellite Thermal Infrared Images for Monitoring North Water during the Periods of Polar Darkness

Abstract

The study reported here illustrates the unique value of NOAA thermal infrared (TIR) images for monitoring the North Water area in Smith Sound and northern Baffin Bay during the periods of polar darkness. Wintertime satellite images reveal that, during the months of December through February, open water and thin ice occur in a few leads and polynyas. However, in March, the areas of open water and thin ice decrease to a minimum with a consequent higher concentration of ice. Two ice dams, in northern Kennedy Channel and in northern Smith Sound, regulate the flow of ice into northern Baffin Bay and also determine the areal variations of open water and thin ice in Smith Sound.

Sea‐ice and meteorological conditions in Northern Baffin Bay and the North Water polynya between 1979 and 1996

“…The NOW coastal regions have 25% more precipitable water available than further inland. This is corroborated by earlier NOW Polynya project measurements and other reports showing 24-30% more annual precipitation at sea level within the NOW Polynya and its coastal regions compared to other Arctic Archipelago stations (Muller et al, , 1977Dey, 1980). Seasonal changes in precipitable water show minimum quantities (<1.5 kg m -2 ) in winter and maximum quantities (10.0-11.25 kg m -2 ) in the summer (Fig.…”

“…These winds represent winter average magnitudes and it should be emphasized that they are conservative due to the coarse model resolution, simplified representation of topography and boundary layer processes, limited observed data for model initialization and smoothing of initial model conditions. The persistent wind directions in Melville Bay create large leads in that region as a result of offshore winter winds (Dey, 1980). Topographic and katabatic influences also contribute to local winds where enhanced wind speeds occur through tunnelling effects and density currents (cold, dry katabatic flows) which are not accounted for in the weather models.…”

Monitoring winter sea ice dynamics in the Canadian Arctic with NOAA‐TIR images

“…However, satellite sensors in the thermal infrared (TIR) and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum can provide a sea ice monitoring capability during the periods of polar darkness. Indeed, a few studies [e.g., Barnes et a/., 1970Barnes et a/., , 1972Pitchard et al, 1977;Marko, 1978;Dey, 1980c] have attempted to monitor winter ice conditions over small areas. In addition, NOAA satellite imagery has been used operationally to map ice conditions during summer and part of the winter seasons by Gregory Geoscience Limited, Ice Forecasting Central, NOAA/NESS, and the U.S. Navy.…”

Combined Use of Space Borne Optical and SAR Data to Improve Knowledge about Sea Ice for Shipping

“…For many years, satellite images have been used to monitor sea ice. For example, ref [1] and citations therein report on early use of thermal infrared data since around 1970. Starting 1979, in particular optical data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), which was/is operated on the TIROS-N and NOAA-6 to -19 as well as METOP-A to -C series of weather satellites, and its variants and successors are used for this purpose; these include the Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) on ERS/ENVISAT satellites, the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Aqua and Terra satellites, and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the S-NPP and NOAA-20 satellites.…”