Inter-Comparison of Satellite-Based Sea Ice Concentration in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

Abstract

We conducted a comparison of sea ice concentration (SIC) in the Amundsen Sea using three satellite datasets: Hadley Centre’s sea ice and sea surface temperature (HadISST1), Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Ice Analysis (OSTIA), and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2). HadISST1 has the longest time period, while AMSR2 has the shortest. In terms of grid resolution, HadISST1 has the coarsest resolution, while AMSR2 has the finest. The sea ice areas (SIAs) observed in HadISST1, OSTIA, and AMSR2 are similar. We studied the decadal variations in SICs by dividing the study period into four temporal segments. We investigated the differences between HadISST1 and OSTIA for each temporal segment. HadISST1 exhibited a more pronounced positive trend compared to OSTIA between 2005 and 2010. Additionally, we compared the interannual and seasonal variations in SICs between HadISST1 and OSTIA. Lastly, it should be noted that the Amundsen Sea polynya area varies across all three datasets.

Keywords

• sea ice concentration
• Amundsen Sea
• polynya