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Cited by 338Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamicsCryospheric studies and observationsOcean Waves and Remote Sensing

Inter-comparison and evaluation of sea ice algorithms: towards further identification of challenges and optimal approach using passive microwave observations

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Ivanova, N., Pedersen, L. T., Tonboe, R. T., Kern, S., Heygster, G., Lavergne, T., Sørensen, A., Saldo, R. +3 more·2015·The Cryosphere
DOI 10.5194/tc-9-1797-2015

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Abstract

Abstract. Sea ice concentration has been retrieved in polar regions with satellite microwave radiometers for over 30 years. However, the question remains as to what is an optimal sea ice concentration retrieval method for climate monitoring. This paper presents some of the key results of an extensive algorithm inter-comparison and evaluation experiment. The skills of 30 sea ice algorithms were evaluated systematically over low and high sea ice concentrations. Evaluation criteria included standard deviation relative to independent validation data, performance in the presence of thin ice and melt ponds, and sensitivity to error sources with seasonal to inter-annual variations and potential climatic trends, such as atmospheric water vapour and water-surface roughening by wind. A selection of 13 algorithms is shown in the article to demonstrate the results. Based on the findings, a hybrid approach is suggested to retrieve sea ice concentration globally for climate monitoring purposes. This approach consists of a combination of two algorithms plus dynamic tie points implementation and atmospheric correction of input brightness temperatures. The method minimizes inter-sensor calibration discrepancies and sensitivity to the mentioned error sources.

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  • WFs are effective at removing false sea ice in open-water regions, but they will always falsely remove some amount of low-concentration and/or thin sea ice, especially along the ice edge.

    “While WFs are effective at removing false sea ice in openwater regions, they will always falsely remove (detect as open water) some amount of low-concentration (and/or thin) sea ice, especially along the ice edge (Ivanova et al., 2015).”

    From Version 2 of the EUMETSAT OSI SAF and ESA CCI sea-ice concentration climate data records (2019) · cites this paper as Ivanova et al., 2015

    Section 4.4 (page unavailable) says open-water/weather filters efficiently remove weather-related noise over open water, but also set some low-concentration ice pixels to 0% SIC. The paper does not establish that filters will always remove ice or that they specifically remove thin ice. The Introduction links low-concentration retrieval uncertainty to the marginal ice zone, but does not show that false removal is especially frequent at the ice edge. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The RRDP v2 holds ground-truth locations for open-water cases (0% SIC) for 2002-2015, and for closed ice (100% SIC) for 2007-2016.

    “Among other data sets, the RRDP v2 holds ground-truth locations for openwater cases (OW, 0 % SIC) for the period 2002-2015, as well as ground-truth locations for closed ice (CI, 100 % SIC) for the period 2007-2016.”

    From Version 2 of the EUMETSAT OSI SAF and ESA CCI sea-ice concentration climate data records (2019) · cites this paper as Ivanova et al. (2015)

    Section 3.2 (page not provided) confirms that the RRDP contains open-water (0% SIC) and closed-ice (100% SIC) validation locations. It gives different coverage periods: open-water AMSR-E data cover 2002–2011, closed-ice AMSR-E data cover 2007–2011, and the full data set extends only through 2011. The paper does not establish the claimed RRDP v2 coverage through 2015 and 2016. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Substantial differences exist between existing estimates of sea-ice concentration from various algorithms.

    “This is, for example, reflected by substantial differences between existing estimates of sea-ice concentration from various algorithms (e.g.Ivanova et al., 2015;Comiso et al., 2017b).”

    From Version 2 of the EUMETSAT OSI SAF and ESA CCI sea-ice concentration climate data records (2019) · cites this paper as Ivanova et al., 2015

  • Satellite-retrieved records of Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice concentration differ widely in their estimates of a specific sea-ice concentration on a given day in a given region.

    “Satellite-retrieved records of Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice concentration differ widely in their estimates of a specific sea-ice concentration on a given day in a given region (e.g.Ivanova et al., 2015;Comiso et al., 2017a).”

    From Version 2 of the EUMETSAT OSI SAF and ESA CCI sea-ice concentration climate data records (2019) · cites this paper as Ivanova et al., 2015

  • A complete, 100% cover of thin sea ice will be retrieved with a lower concentration, depending on the thickness.

    “A complete, 100 % cover of thin sea ice will be retrieved with a lower concentration, depending on the thickness (Ivanova et al., 2015).”

    From Version 2 of the EUMETSAT OSI SAF and ESA CCI sea-ice concentration climate data records (2019) · cites this paper as Ivanova et al., 2015

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 30

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Authors
Ivanova, N., Pedersen, L. T., Tonboe, R. T., Kern, S., Heygster, G., Lavergne, T., Sørensen, A., Saldo, R., Dybkjær, G., Brucker, L., & Shokr, M.
Affiliations
  • Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center (NO)
  • Danish Meteorological Institute (DK)
  • Universität Hamburg (DE)
  • University of Bremen (DE)
  • Norwegian Meteorological Institute (NO)
  • Technical University of Denmark (DK)
  • Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
  • Environment and Climate Change Canada (CA)
Corresponding author
Ivanova, N.
ORCID
Venue
The Cryosphere
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Published
2015-09-15
Volume
9
Issue
5
Pages
1797-1817
ISSN
  • 1994-0416 (ISSN-L)
  • 1994-0424
DOI
10.5194/tc-9-1797-2015
OpenAlex
W2151464938
Cited by
338
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 46 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 4
FWCI
16.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • The Cryosphere (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
  • Technical University of Denmark, DTU Orbit (Technical University of Denmark, DTU) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
Funders
European Space Agency (contract no. 4000104733/11/I-AM)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Cryospheric studies and observations
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Ocean Waves and Remote Sensing
Keywords
sea ice concentration, passive microwave retrieval, algorithm evaluation, thin ice, melt ponds, atmospheric water vapor, hybrid retrieval, polar regions, climate monitoring

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