Detecting the Greenland Ice Sheet Strong Surface Melt During Summer 2021 using SMAP L-Band Microwave Radiometry

Mohammad Mousavi, Andreas Colliander, Nicole Jeanne Schlegel, Julie Z. Miller, John S. Kimball

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Due to their larger penetration and sensing depth, low frequency microwave measurements have been recently employed to detect ice sheet melt events. In this paper, the response of NASA's SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) L-band measurements to surface melting of the Greenland ice sheet from 2015 through 2021 is investigated. SMAP covers virtually the entire Greenland ice sheet twice a day with its L-band (1.4 GHz) radiometer. The results show that the ice sheet experienced unusually strong surface melting on August 14,2021, which extended the melt area across much of dry snow zone over a period of two days. Moreover, the observational results agree well with model simulations conducted using Glacier Energy and Mass Balance (GEMB) module within the Ice-sheet and Sea-level System Model (ISSM).

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIGARSS 2022 - 2022 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages3790-3793
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9781665427920
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Event2022 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS 2022 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Duration: Jul 17 2022Jul 22 2022

Publication series

NameInternational Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS)
Volume2022-July

Conference

Conference2022 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS 2022
Country/TerritoryMalaysia
CityKuala Lumpur
Period07/17/2207/22/22

Keywords

  • Greenland
  • SMAP radiometer
  • ice sheet
  • melt events
  • microwave remote sensing

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