Polar Space

Task Group

Polar Space Task GroupStatus Report

EC-PORS-5 - 21 February 2014 Wellington, New Zealand

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

• 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

Polar Space

Task Group

201320122011

CryoSat: Sea Ice Thickness vs. Model

CryoSatPIOMAS Model

Polar Space

Task Group

Sea Ice Thickness vs. Model

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

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

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

New: EUMETSAT Operational Antarctic Sea Ice Drift Products

See: http://saf.met.no/p/ice/lr_ice_drift.html

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

Satellite derived Ice Shelf Calving fluxes/basal melt rates

• 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)

(m yr–1)Depoorter et al (2013): Naturedoi:10.1038/nature12567

Calving Flux – Green; Basal Mass loss - Orange

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

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

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

NOAA NRT Sea Level Record

http://ibis.grdl.noaa.gov/SAT/SeaLevelRise/LSA_SLR_timeseries.php

http://ibis.grdl.noaa.gov/SAT/SeaLevelRise/LSA_SLR_maps.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

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

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

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

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 in-situ data

• Copernicus Sentinels to fulfil data requirements

See: http://www.cryoland.eu/ for service portal, andFor product viewer “GeoPortal” (*as above)http://neso.cryoland.enveo.at/cryoland/cryoclient/

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

New Services Development: Anistiamo

ObjectiveTo 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

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

Funded by ESA

Polar Space

Task Group

New & Forthcoming Missions

• New satellites launched– FY-3C – 23 Sept., 2013– Sentinel-1A (Oct/Nov’13)

• Forthcoming launches:– 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)

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For FY-3C data, see http://fy3.satellite.cma.gov.cn

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02 04 06 08 10 11 12 13 15 16

          

07 0905 14

Cryosphere Satellite Missions

Planned/Pending approvalIn Orbit

Approved Solid = R & D; Hatched = operational mission

FY-3C FY-3B

HY-1C

RCM

SAR/COSMO-SKYMED X-bandTerraSAR/Tandem-X X-band

ICESAT GMES S-3A, B

RADARSAT-2 C-bandRADARSAT-1 C-band

ICESAT-2CryoSat-2

SAR/RISAT C-band IPY

Ku-Scat & MSMR/OCEANSAT-2

HY-3 WSAR

Seawinds/QuikSCAT Ku-band

GMES S-1A, B

SMOSWindSat

AMSR-2/GCOM-W1OLS & SSMI/DMSP— AVHRR & AMSU/NOAA

GOCE

JPSS 1VIIRS/NPP

Courtesy: M. DrinkwaterArctica-M 1 & 2

HEO missions PCW 1 & 2

MetOp -B, -C

GRACE-C

LEO missions

PALSAR/ALOS L-band

ASCAT & AVHRR/MetOp -A

ALOS-2

Landsat DCMLandsat-5, -7

Aster/MODIS/EOS-Terra

RA2 & ASAR/Envisat C-bandRA, SAR & Wind Scat/ERS-2

HY-2C HY-2BHY-2A

MODIS & AMSR-E/EOS-Aqua

HY-1BCOCTS/HY-1A

GRACE

SPOT-4/5

MODI & MERSI/FY-3AVIRR/FY-1D

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 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

GPM Launch – 27 Feb 2014

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

Sentinel-1A launch – April 2014

• 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

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.

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

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/

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

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)

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

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)

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

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

Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

DUE Permafrost Workshop 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

Polar permafrost observation sites with long term measurents in the past or currently being set up

Current Cryonet sites

Polar Space

Task Group

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

Arctic coastal erosionSource: AWI

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

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Polar Space

Task Group

EC-PORS-5 25-28 Feb. 2014

News Examples - Based on Space data

• Greenland glacier hits record speed:– http://

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26032188• Alaska's Arctic icy lakes lose thickness

– http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26017431

• ESA's CryoSat sees Arctic sea-ice volume bounce back– http://

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25383373