Interferometric study on sea ice, outlet glacier and ice sheet, Antarctica by ERS-1 SAR

Fumihiko NISHIO            Hokkaido University of Education, 1-15-55,         
                           Shiroyama, Kushiro-City, Japan, 085,   
                           fnishio@earth.kus.hokkyodai.ac.jp

Hiroshi Kimura            Gifu University, Faculty of Engineering,  
                           Gifu-City
Akira Takahashi           Communication Research Laboratory, Tokyo
Okitsugu WATANABE 
and Teruo Furukawa        National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo


       
Abstract


we generated a series of two interferograms of the area in the Kaya 
Glacier, Luztow Holm Bay, East Antarctica using data acquired from 
descending orbits during a 3-day repeat cycle of ERS-1 operations in 
December, 1991.  The color sequence of yellow toward red indicates the 
direction in which the number of fringes increases.  One complete 
color cycle (e.g. red to red) represents one fringe and a path length 
difference of wavelength in the round-trip.  We discuss some results 
of interferometry for sea ice and Kaya Glacier movement flowing down 
from the ice sheet.  The interferogram reflects one or more of several 
components in surface deformation.  The example of the Kaya Gacier in 
December, 1991 displays a dense, colorful fringe patterns indicating 
vertical movements by tidal action, consistent with tide gauge records 
at Syowa Station.  Another examples of the fast sea ice near Kaya and 
Shirase Glcaier are displayed with fringe patterns indicating 
deformation of discontinuities in the pattern which are up to tens of 
kilometers long.  These discontinuities in the pattern may reflect 
cracks that separate the fast sea ice into discrete segments, which 
were applied by either compression or tilting between two passes.  
These interferogram for sea ice and glaciers are potentially useful 
capabilities for many studies in polar regions.  Additional work is 
important to verify the nature of discontinuities and reduce the 
uncertainties in the interpretation.

Keywords: SAR-interferometry, tidal motion, grounding line, 
topographic fringe

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