Sea Ice Concentration detection with AMSR-2
This recent blog post highlighted an Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-2) product showing estimates of Sea Ice concentration at high spatial resolution. This followup post shows the product on a different day in 2022. The MODIS True-Color imagery below, from March 22, 2022, shows ice in the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean surrounding Alaska. The red arrows highlight a large lead north of Russia, and an area of open water near the coast in Bristol Bay. Note also the irregular edge to the sea ice in the Bering Sea, and shore-fast ice along the northern edge of Kuskoskim bay. (An Alaskan map here (source) might help with geographic names)
Ice Concentration from microwave data from the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS; on Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20 at the time; NOAA-21 now also carries ATMS) and AMSR-2 is shown below. The better resolution from the AMSR-2 imagery allows a much better depiction of the open lead north Russia, the open water over northern Bristol Bay, the ragged southern edge of the ice sheet, and the shore-fast ice. This product continues to be evaluated by the Alaskan Ice Desk.
Thanks to Tom Greenwald, SSEC/CIMSS, for the imagery in this post