MAIRES Satellites data analysis for land ice and Sea ice report

The objective of the MAIRES project is to develop methodologies for satellite monitoring of Arctic glaciers, sea ice and icebergs. A major effort has been to compile satellite data from ESA, Russian Space Agency, and other satellite systems and establish data bases where satellite data can be searched, collocated and downloaded for further use. Methodologies have been developed to retrieve quantitative information on land ice, sea ice and icebergs from various satellite data, supplemented by in situ and other data. Examples of satellite derived products for each of the three thematic areas have been presented at conferences and workshops. The main satellite data have been Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), optical and infrared images, radar altimeter data, passive microwave data and geoid data from GOCE. Results from MAIRES can contribute to improved understanding of climate change processes in the Arctic cryosphere. This information will be useful for scientists, policy-makers, operators, various other stakeholders and the general public. MAIRES has demonstrated the possibilities of combining Earth Observation data from European and Russian satellites for operational mapping, interpretation and forecast of land and sea ice variations in the Eurasian Arctic. Satellite-derived data collected over many years have shown seasonal and interannual variability of land ice, sea ice and icebergs. The benefit of using satellite for climate monitoring in the Arctic will increase in the comings as more data and longer time series of crysopheric parameters will be available. The results have been disseminated to users groups including climate research and operational users through many presentations at workshops, conferences and in scientific publications.NERSC Technical Report no. 33