Antarctic Ice Charts, 1977-1978.
Abstract
The advent of high resolution satellite imagery combined with the ground truth of conventional observations has in recent years provided description of the polar ice fields on a semi-synoptic scale. Since 1970, the Fleet Weather Facility at Suitland, Maryland has prepared operational analyses and forecasts of ice conditions in the Arctic and Antarctic for the Department of Defense and various other users. The results of these efforts are contained herein. The charts were constructed by Navy ice analysts under operational time constraints from satellite imagery and conventional data. Reanalysis with late data was not normally attempted; rather the current analysis was prepared incorporating this to the extent possible. The analysis was compared with available climatology in an attempt to eliminate gross errors. Scanning radiometer imagery, visual and infrared, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites and microwave radiometer data from the NIMBUS V research satellite were the primary data sources. Limited use of the Earth Resources LANDSAT and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) imagery as well as conventional observations were utilized. The 19.35 GHZ microwave radiometer with 25 kilometer (KM) resolution aboard NIMBUS V provided an ice edge and limited inner pack conditions. This was the basic data source during the polar night and over areas dominated by persistent cloud cover. During the seasons with adequate light, visual data from the Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) with 1 KM resolution and the 4 KM resolution data from the Scanning Radiometer aboard NOAA satellites were utilized.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA086299