Polar
Space
Task
Group
Polar Space Task Group
Status Report
EC-PORS-5 - 21 February 2014
Wellington, New Zealand
Polar
Space
Task
Group
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Latest Results (other than Inf.11)
New Developments
Evolution in Satellite based Services
New and Forthcoming Sat. Missions
PSTG Requirement initiatives
Key Meetings in 2014
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
CryoSat: Sea Ice Thickness vs. Model
PIOMAS
Model
2011
CryoSat
2012
2013
Polar
Space
Task
Group
Sea Ice Thickness vs. Model
Polar
Space
Task
Group
CryoSat sea ice thickness
• Data from CryoSat show interannual
variability in Arctic sea ice volume,
with autumn 2013 value 50% higher
than in 2012 (though still amongst
lowest in last 30 years.
• In October 2013, CryoSat measured
approximately 9,000 cubic kilometers
of sea ice compared to 6,000 cubic
kilometers in October 2012.
• About 90% of increase in volume due
to the retention of thick, multiyear
ice around Northern Greenland and
the Canadian Archipelago
 Sea ice dynamics monitoring
fundamental to mass balance
understanding
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
New: EUMETSAT Operational
Antarctic Sea Ice Drift Products
See: http://saf.met.no/p/ice/lr_ice_drift.html
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
Satellite derived Ice Shelf Calving
fluxes/basal melt rates
Calving Flux – Green;
Basal Mass loss - Orange
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(m
yr–1)
Depoorter et al (2013): Nature
doi:10.1038/nature12567
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0 = (Basal Mass Loss + Surf Mass Balance + Grounding
Line Flux) - Calving Flux
Depoorter (2013) results using Satellite radar/laser
altimetry + InSAR ice velocity map (for mass flux across
grounding line)
Total Calving flux 1,321 +/-144 GT/yr
Basal mass loss -1,454 +/-174 GT/yr consistent with
ocean model estimates
Half of ice shelf mass lost by basal melting before the ice
reaches the calving front
Smaller calving fluxes than previously thought
Data Needs: Long term altimetry + ice sheet wide InSAR
monitoring (for velocity)
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
ESA-NASA Ice Sheet Mass Balance
Intercomparison Exercise (IMBIE)
• IMBIE combined satellite
altimetry, interferometry, and
gravimetry data from the same
regions, time spans, and models
to examine ice sheet balance.
• Estimated mass change rates for
four ice sheet regions
(Greenland, East Antarctica, West
Antarctica, and the Antarctic
Peninsula) between 1992 and
2012. Image from Shepherd et al.
2012.
• Interannual variability driven by
Surface Mass Balance and ice
stream velocity
• Greenland is most dominant
contributor to sea level
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
NOAA NRT Sea Level Record
http://ibis.grdl.noaa.gov/SAT/SeaLevelRise/LSA_SLR_maps.php
http://ibis.grdl.noaa.gov/SAT/SeaLevelRise/LSA_SLR_timeseries.php
• Global mean and regional rate of change in sea level monitored
• Consequences of glacier/ice sheet mass input (eustatic) and steric effects
monitored by altimeters
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
GCW: Sat Obs. based Snow Trackers
• Satellite observations at
continental scale
• Validation using in-situ
obs.
• Env. Canada (upper) –
Snow Cover Extent (SCE)
vs. climatology
• FMI (lower) – GCW Snow
Tracker - Snow Water
Equivalent (SWE) relative
to ESA 10yr GlobSnow
climatology
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
Copernicus CryoLand Service goes live
• Pan European Service went
live 1 Dec 2013
• Funded by EU to stimulate
the cryosphere aspects of
the Copernicus Land
Service
• Based on satellite and insitu data
• Copernicus Sentinels to
fulfil data requirements
See: http://www.cryoland.eu/ for service portal, and
For product viewer “GeoPortal” (*as above)
http://neso.cryoland.enveo.at/cryoland/cryoclient/
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
New Services Development: Anistiamo
Current partners in the project are:
- Led by Kongsberg Satellite Services, Norway
- Skytek, Ireland
- Coastal and Marine Research Centre, Ireland
- National Space Centre, Ireland
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment
- Finnish Meteorological Institute
- Space System Finland
- Norut
- Tromsø Centre for Remote Technology
- Navielektro
Objective
To link different EO derived information products with on-going European
information access initiatives. Products for sea-ice extent and concentration in the
target area are currently routinely available (Polar View, MyOcean, OSI SAF).
• The Project addresses requirements for improved information services in the
areas of Arctic Monitoring - including new products (ice drift maps, ice thickness
maps).
• Near real-time information in fine scale (1-5 km) about sea ice drift with ice
deformation rates, ice types and thickness in the area is currently needed
Funded by ESA
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
New & Forthcoming Missions
• New satellites launched
– FY-3C – 23 Sept., 2013
– Sentinel-1A (Oct/Nov’13)
• Forthcoming launches:
For FY-3C data, see http://fy3.satellite.cma.gov.cn
– Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) Core
Observatory (27 Feb., 2014)
– Sentinel-1A (tbc 3 April, 2014)
– Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) – June 2014
– ALOS-2 (2014 launch)
• Recently approved Programmes
– Polar Communications and Weather Satellite (PCW)
13
02
Polar
Space
Task
03
04
Group
Cryosphere Satellite Missions
06
05
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
PALSAR/ALOS L-band
RA, SAR & Wind Scat/ERS-2
ALOS-2
RA2 & ASAR/Envisat C-band
RADARSAT-1 C-band
16
GMES S-1A, B
RCM
RADARSAT-2 C-band
IPY
SAR/RISAT C-band
TerraSAR/Tandem-X X-band
HY-3 WSAR
SAR/COSMO-SKYMED X-band
ASCAT & AVHRR/MetOp -A
MetOp -B, -C
Ku-Scat & MSMR/OCEANSAT-2
Seawinds/QuikSCAT Ku-band
ICESAT
LEO missions
ICESAT-2
GMES S-3A, B
GRACE-C
CryoSat-2
GRACE
GOCE
WindSat
SMOS
OLS & SSMI/DMSP— AVHRR & AMSU/NOAA
MODIS & AMSR-E/EOS-Aqua
Aster/MODIS/EOS-Terra
AMSR-2/GCOM-W1
VIIRS/NPP
HY-1B
COCTS/HY-1A
HY-1C
HY-2A
VIRR/FY-1D
MODI & MERSI/FY-3A
Landsat-5, -7
JPSS 1
FY-3B
HY-2B
HY-2C
FY-3C
Landsat DCM
SPOT-4/5
Courtesy: M. Drinkwater
In Orbit
HEO missions
Approved
Planned/Pending approval
Arctica-M 1 & 2
PCW 1 & 2
Solid = R & D; Hatched = operational mission
Polar
Space
Task
Group
GPM Launch – 27 Feb 2014
• JAXA to launch joint
NASA/JAXA Global
Precipitation Mission
Core Observatory at
the end of February
• GPM carries a dual-frequency radar and microwave radiometer
– GPM’s goal is to set a new standard for precipitation (rain and snow)
measurements from space worldwide every three hours – to 65 deg N and
S - as part of an international constellation
– See: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GPM/main/index.html
– GPM Brochure:
http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/GPM_Mission_Brochure.pdf
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
Sentinel-1A launch – April 2014
Artists impression of Sentinel-1 satellite in orbit
Copernicus/GMES Sentinel info here:
https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/home
Data are free and open, and details of data
access provided at the URL.
• Sentinel-1A is the first
launch of a pair of C-band
SAR satellites
• S-1A launch date around
end March/early April
• S-1A shall support
Copernicus operational
applications including
operational oceanography
and ice services
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP)
- Launch June 2014
• SMAP Goal is to map soil
moisture and freeze/thaw
state
• Combination of L-band SAR
and radiometer using 6m
conically scanning antenna
• Two day repeat at latitudes > 45 North and South.
• Together with ongoing ESA SMOS and NASA Aquarius missions, and
along with the GPM Mission - SMAP will help to contribute to study of
the water cycle, active layer thermodynamics, particularly in
permafrost regions
• See: http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov/
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
PSTG Initiatives
• Permafrost community requirements white
paper (see attached slides from Workshop)
• PSTG Request for Community White paper
development and/or Requirements
consolidation for the snow user community
• Ongoing sea ice community requirements
consolidation effort (led by J. Falkingham –
under CSA support)
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
Cryosphere ECVs – Status Update
ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI) progressing very successfully:
CCI Ice Sheets recently distributed test products:
http://www.esa-icesheets-cci.org/
• Surface Elevation Change (SEC) gridded data from radar altimetry;
• Ice Velocity (IV) gridded data from synthetic aperture radar interferometry and
feature tracking;
• Calving Front Location (CFL) time series of marine-terminating glaciers;
• Grounding Line Location (GLL) time series of marine-terminating glaciers.
CCI Glacier has contributed extensively to the Randolph Glacier Inventory. The data
can be downloaded via the website here: http://www.esa-glaciers-cci.org/
CCI project teams will meet 4-6 Feb, 2014 to review the next phase of their activities.
The points of contact are; A. Shepherd (ice sheet); F. Paul (glaciers); Leif Toudal
Pedersen (sea ice)
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
Key Meetings
Meetings in 2013
• 2nd International Workshop on Passive Microwave Sea Ice
Concentration (18-19 Feb, 2013)
• Workshop on sea ice thickness retrieval from ERS and ENVISAT
radar altimeters (15th March 2013, Cambridge, UK)
Meetings held in 2014
• GCW Steering Group - Iceland
• ESA hosted Workshop on Permafrost in conjunction with WCRP
CliC, IPA & GTN-P: 11-13 Feb, 2014
Forthcoming Meetings in 2014
• CCI sea ice workshop – Sept, 2014
• PSTG Meeting – Sept/Oct 2014
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
DUE Permafrost Workshop 2014
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014
Polar
Space
Task
Group
• Sponsored by International Permafrost Association (IPA), the Global Terrestrial
Network for Permafrost (GTN-P) and WCRP Climate and Cryosphere project (CliC)
•
70 participants, including young scientists, from all over the World
•
4 Break-out sessions including discussions of updates to user requirements
expressed in the IGOS Cryosphere report and summarised in ESA’s DUE
Permafrost Project
•
Summary of Key Requirements:
o 3 priority variables for baseline mapping: LST, snow and land surface.
o "Special" mapping for cold spots (with intense in-situ) and "hot" spots (high
dynamic areas) as well as for mountain permafrost with inventory of rock
glaciers and permafrost extent.
• Updated requirements will be consolidated for the European Conference on
permafrost EUCOP4 in June.
Polar
Space
Task
Group
Current
Cryonet
sites
Polar permafrost observation sites with long term measurents in
the past or currently being set up
Polar
Space
Task
Group
Arctic coastal erosion
Source: AWI
One annual coverage of
• all permafrost areas with high
resolution optical data
• Arctic coasts (high resolution
optical/SAR)
Transects (including different
permafrost types) in addition to
spots required for
• Permafrost modelling
• Identification of change hot
spots
Polar
Space
Task
Group
Summary and
Considerations for EC-PORS
• EC-PORS requested to reflect on PSTG progress
• Space Agencies can be tasked effectively as illustrated by ice sheet
example of response to a consolidated set of user requirements
– Similar sets of consolidated requirements are a prerequisite to effective
planning and coordination of PSTG Agency commitments
• EC-PORS Task Teams to reflect on how best to harmonise PSTG
strategic priorities with GCW and GIPPS foci and activities
– PSTG rep. simply cannot attend all GCW, WWRP meetings
• For EC-PORS to consider how best to capture consolidated space
observation needs of observing system initiatives such as SAON, SOOS,
etc.
• EC-PORS to consider providing any critical needs or strategic priority
inputs to forthcoming PSTG4 meeting in Sept/Oct 2014
28
Polar
Space
Task
Group
News Examples - Based on Space data
• Greenland glacier hits record speed:
– http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment26032188
• Alaska's Arctic icy lakes lose thickness
– http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment26017431
• ESA's CryoSat sees Arctic sea-ice volume bounce
back
– http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment25383373
EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014