M. Joshi et al., An edge detection technique to estimate melt duration, season and melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet using passive microwave data, GEOPHYS R L, 28(18), 2001, pp. 3497-3500
The melt extent, duration and melt season on the Greenland ice sheet were e
stimated using an edge detection technique on passive microwave data from t
he SSM/I and SMMR instruments (18/19V GHz channel) for the period 1979 to 1
997. The annual brightness temperature (Tb) time series at a pixel location
that experiences summer melt has a steep rise and drop in Tb with the onse
t and end of melt, respectively. A derivative-of-Gaussian edge detector is
used to detect edges corresponding to the onset and end of melt. The time l
apsed between the first upward and last down-ward edge on the annual Tb tim
e series gives an estimate of the melt season and the time lapsed between s
uccessive upward and downward edges gives the duration of melt. While the m
aximum melt extent increased by 18%, the total duration of melt increased b
y 3.7% and the total melt season decreased by 3.8% during the period 1979-1
997.