A MICROWAVE TECHNIQUE FOR MAPPING ICE TEMPERATURE IN THE ARCTIC SEASONAL SEA-ICE ZONE

A technique for deriving ice temperature in the Arctic seasonal sea ic e zone from passive microwave radiances has been developed, The algori thm operates on brightness temperatures derived from the Special Senso r Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and uses ice concentration and type from a previously developed thin ice algorithm to estimate the surface emissi vity. Comparisons of the microwave derived temperatures with estimates derived from infrared imagery of the Bering Strait yield a correlatio n coefficient of 0.93 and an RMS difference of 2.1 K when coastal and cloud contaminated pixels are removed, SSM/I temperatures were also co mpared with a time series of air temperature observations from Gambell on St, Lawrence Island and from Point Barrow, AK weather stations, Th ese comparisons indicate that the relationship between the air tempera ture and the ice temperature depends on ice type.