OBSERVATION OF SEA-ICE AND ICE-FREE STRUCTURES IN THE BRANSFIELD STRAIT
AND SOUTHERN DRAKE PASSAGE WITH ERS-1/SAR
| J.Capdevila (1), J.Corbera (1), J. Calvet (1), J. Puigdefabregas (2),
P. Arnau (2), and M.A.Garcia (2) |
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(1) Departament de Geologia Dinamica, Geofisica i Paleontologia, Universitat
de Barcelona. Zona Universitaria de Pedralbes, 08071 Barcelona (Spain).
(2) Laboratori d'Enginyeria Maritima, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya.
c/Gran Capita s/n, modul D1, 08034 Barcelona (Spain). |
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Abstract
- Very few studies on the oceanographic conditions in the Bransfield
Strait region (Antarctica) during winter have been conducted in the past.
In particular, little is known about the structure of the local sea ice
cover and the convergence/divergence processes leading to sea ice deformation
and production (and further refreezing) of open sea areas in the zone.
However, sea ice formation and related brine rejection may have an important
influence on the local hydrography and ocean circulation at different time
and length scales.
In the framework of the AO2-E107 project "Tidal dynamics and seasonal
ice shelf evolution in the Bransfield Strait (Antarctica)", ESA has
made available to us three ERS1/SAR.PRI scenes of the study area acquired
in July 1992. SAR digital levels have been transformed into backscattering
by using the standard Laur's model and the calibration coefficients supplied
by the D-PAF. Furthermore, speckle noise has been reduced with a Lee filter.
Sea-ice and ice-free features have been identified on the basis of the
computed backscattering levels and have been related to the existing knowledge
on the local meteorology and oceanography.
Keywords: ESA European
Space Agency - Agence spatiale europeenne,
observation de la terre, earth observation,
satellite remote sensing,
teledetection, geophysique, altimetrie, radar,
chimique atmospherique, geophysics, altimetry, radar,
atmospheric chemistry
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