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ISSN 2070-7401 (Print), ISSN 2411-0280 (Online)
Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN REMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH FROM SPACE

  

Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2025, V. 22, No. 5, pp. 274-292

The impact of dirty ice on determination of sea ice concentration based on satellite microwave radiometry data

V.V. Tikhonov 1, 2, 3 , T.A. Alekseeva 2, 1 , J.V. Sokolova 1 , E.V. Afanasyeva 2, 1 , D.A. Boyarskii 1 , M.D. Raev 1 , E.A. Sharkov 1 
1 Space Research Institute RAS, Moscow, Russia
2 Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia
3 Institute for Water and Environmental Problems SB RAS, Barnaul, Russia
Accepted: 29.07.2025
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2025-22-5-274-292
Existing algorithms for determining sea ice concentration and sea ice extent based on satellite microwave radiometry data are subject to serious errors during melt and destruction periods of the ice cover. The causes of errors are considered to be: extreme weather conditions, atmospheric interference, ocean surface roughness, wet snow cover, thin ice, stage of melting, presence of puddles on the ice surface, small forms of floating ice (ice cake, small ice cake, brash ice), etc. Previously, the authors pointed out that one of the reasons for underestimating sea ice concentration (SIC) determined from satellite microwave radiometry (SMR) data is the contamination of the ice surface with terrigenous deposits. Sea ice contamination occurs during its formation in coastal areas in shallow water. During this period, particles of inorganic origin from the seabed enter the ice as a result of continental runoff and wind erosion. In summer, melting of snow and ice leads to an increased concentration of terrigenous particles on the surface of the ice cover. During summer period, such ice occupies vast coastal areas in the seas of the Arctic. In this work, on the basis of theoretical modeling of thermal microwave radiation, a decrease in the emissivity of dirty sea ice is shown, and, as a consequence, an underestimation of SIC by algorithms. The paper analyzes the performance of six algorithms for determining SIC based on SMR data for dirty ice. The reasons for the underestimation of SIC by the algorithms are shown, and values of errors for these algorithms are given. The analysis is performed for the East Siberian Sea.
Keywords: satellite microwave radiometry, brightness temperature, emissivity, sea ice concentration, dirty ice, model of microwave emission
Full text

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