Product Description
The ice edge is the boundary at any given time between open water and sea, whether drifting or fast; may be termed compacted when it is clear-cut, or open when it forms the indefinite edge of an area of dispersed ice (NSIDC definition).
Product Specifications
BUSINESS PROCESS | SD, SC, IN, SO |
DESCRIPTION | The ice edge is the boundary at any given time between open water and sea ice. |
EO INFORMATION OF INTEREST | Detection of the boundaries between water and sea ice. |
MAIN PROCESS STEPS | Ice edge detection requires calibration using observations of an open ocean location and one which is thought to be 100% ice covered. SAR backscattering values of open water and sea ice are then used for classification. Empirical schemes employing different assumptions and corrections can be used to account for differing surface conditions. |
INPUT DATA SOURCE | X-, C- and S-band SAR data; with strong wind, cross-polarized bands (as HV in Sentinel-1 SAR EW mode) support HH or VV bands (see limitations). |
SPATIAL RESOLUTION AND COVERAGE | Spatial resolution 1-6km (2 to 5 times lower than the original SAR, as processing requires some sort of data aggregation) and same coverage of the original SAR. |
ACCURACY / CONSTRAINS | The calibration of open water and sea ice backscatter thresholds is difficult in case of strong wind |
LIMITATIONS | With weak wind, ice edge detection is easy using HH or VV bands. With strong wind, cross-polarized SAR bands, more noisy but less sensitive to rough sea, support the detection. The interpretation of data can indeed be challenging, especially when handled by personnel without extensive experience in the field. |
TEMPORAL RESOLUTION | Similar to SIC. Various products with various frequency, including hourly, daily mean |
FREQUENCY UPDATE | Any time a new SAR image is available |
DELIVERY / OUTPUT FORMAT | NetCDF-3, NetCDF-4, geo-located raster and shape formats |
ACCESSIBILITY | Same as for SIC products |
Business Process Challenges
Ship Design (SD) Challenges
Ship Construction (SC) Challenges
- SC-3 Planning of Sea Trials Outside of Ice Season
- SC-4 Avoiding Ice During Sea Trials
- SC-5 Planning of Sea Ice Trials
- SC-6 Finding Suitable Ice During Sea Trials
- SC-7 Ship Operation in Ice During Sea Trials
Ship Certification (SCE) Challenges
- SCE-1 Defining Operational Limit Temperatures
- SCE-2 Icing Prediction for Vessel Certification
- SCE-3 Risk Assessment for Operations in Ice
- SCE-4 Strategic Planning using Polaris
- SCE-5 Monitoring Ship Icing Conditions During Voyage
- SCE-6 Monitoring Sea Ice Conditions During Voyage
- SCE-7 Defining Design Parameters for Ship Class Rules
- SCE-8 Ship Emission Monitoring
- SCE-9 Ship Monitoring, Location and Operation
- SCE-10 Oil and Substance Spill Monitoring
Insurance (IN) Challenges
Ship Operation (SO) Challenges
- SO-1 Navigating Through Ice
- SO-2 Avoiding Ice Edge
- SO-3 Navigating Along (or just inside) the Ice Edge
- SO-5 Avoiding Sea Ice
- SO-8 Strategic Planning
- SO-10 Search & Rescue Operations
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