National Ice Center

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Last Update on August 19, 2008

The Alaska SAR Facility, located in the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, downlinks, processes, archives, and distributes SAR data from the European Space Agency's ERS-1 and ERS-2 satellites, NASDA's JERS-1satellite, and the Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT satellite. Available SAR products include: full-resolution (25 m) images; low-resolution (240 m) images; complex-format SAR data products which retain amplitude and phase information; geocoded images; and uncorrelated (raw signal) SAR data, representing the original backscattered radar signals. ASF also archives GPS (Geophysical Processing System) products which input SAR data. The GPS archive currently includes ice motion, ice classification, and ocean wave spectra products. ASF is also preparing for installation of the RGPS (RADARSAT Geophysical Processor System) which will provide high level sea ice products for the Arctic Basin. The Geo-Data center, a joint project between ASF and the Geophysical Institute, holds many complementary data sets, each covering Alaska and nearby regions. Their data holdings include LANDSAT, NOAA/AVHRR, and AHAP images as well as USGS maps.

Arctic Environmental Data Directory

The Arctic Environmental Data Directory (AEDD) is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, Alaska, on behalf of the member agencies of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC). The AEDD is the initial repository for information on the Arctic in support of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984. The AEDD contains descriptions of data on global change studies, environmental interactions, earth sciences, social sciences, and policy and management. Contact information is provided in each entry to obtain the data.

Canada Center for Remote Sensing

A national program in remote sensing is coordinated by Geomatics Canada in cooperation with other agencies of the Government of Canada, provincial governments, industry and Canadian universities. Established in 1971, the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) is responsible for the acquisition of Earth observation data and for the development of remote sensing applications and related methodologies and systems.

CRREL

The Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab (CRREL) is a unique facility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that addresses the problems and opportunities unique to the world's cold regions. CRREL has earned an international reputation of excellence that is sustained by its exceptional technical and support staffs and by emphasis on a balance of theoretical, experimental, laboratory and field work. We are proud to be able to provide you with information on our mission, facilities and research products.

Institute for Marine Dynamics (IMD)

This website provides historical sea ice and iceberg conditions off Newfoundland from 1800 to near present time and ice charts for each of the winter months with the original reports from which the charts were constructed. Additionally, the geographical coordinates of the ice positions and of the sea ice boundary line are given. There is a database of about 400 incidents of ships colliding with icebergs and a map showing the locations.

JPL Polar Oceanography Group

This group's mission is to utilize satellite microwave remote sensing data and in-situ methods to understand the climate-induced variability in sea-ice and land-ice on seasonal to interannual time scales. Check the "Research" option at this site to view data on Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice.

Ocean Modeling Branch

The Ocean Modeling Branch conducts a program of research and development in support of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) operational forecasting mission for oceanic prediction.

This research and development includes oceanographic analysis, modeling, and forecast guidance products based upon both indirect and insitu observations, sea surface temperature, wind ,waves, subsurface temperature and currents etc. It serves as the principal focus for operational oceanography within the NCEP. The Branch evaluates and develops numerical procedures and physical methods that are appropriate for operational surface wind modeling over the global oceans, coastal seas and the Great Lakes, deep and shallow water wave forecast models, coastal ocean modeling and data assimilation, sea ice modeling and quality control of marine observations. The Ocean Modeling Branch publishes research results in various media for dissemination to the world oceanographic and meteorological community.

The Polar Science Center (PSC)

The Polar Science Center (PSC) is a unit of the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington. PSC was established in 1978 at the end of the multiyear Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX), a major NSF/ONR program. In 1982 PSC was incorporated into the Applied Physics Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research facility. PSC is involved in numerous studies of sea, ice, polar oceanography, and meteorology with primary funding from NASA, NOAA, NSF, and ONR.

RADARSAT Geophysical Processor System (RGPS)

RGPS is a sophisticated computer system that will take RADARSAT SAR images of arctic sea ice for input, and create geophysical products for output. The products include: sea ice motion, the thickness distribution of new ice, and the backscatter history of the ice. A data acquisition plan has been formulated in which the entire Arctic Ocean will be imaged by RADARSAT at weekly intervals, starting in the fall of 1996. RGPS will use these successive Arctic Snapshots to track a dense array of tie points. RGPS products will be archived at the Alaska SAR Facility (ASF). RGPS development is being led by Ron Kwok at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with funding from NASA.

Scott Polar Research Institute

The Scott Polar Research Institute was founded in 1920, in Cambridge, as a memorial to Captain Scott and his four companions who died returning from the South Pole in 1912. When Scott's last words, "For God's sake look after our people" were made known to the British nation, the response was tremendous. Scott himself had emphasised the importance of science and from this plea, the Institute was born. The Institute is the oldest international centre for Polar Research within a university. Seventy-five years of scientific exploration, collection, recording and interpretation of results makes it a unique institution. Many other institutes concerned with polar issues have grown up with around it: the British Antarctic Survey, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, the Cambridge Arctic Shelf Project, the World Data Centre C (Glaciology), the International Glaciological Society and the International Whaling Commission. In 1960, the Ford Foundation enabled the Institute to meet the challenge of an explosion in polar information following World War II. Now, once again, the Institute has embarked on a major expansion of the library to serve the needs of the research community into the future. This planned extension will be named the Shackleton Memorial Library in honour of the contributions made to polar research by Sir Ernest Shackleton and his son, Lord Shackleton.

Sea Ice Studies

This web site describes methods for remotely measuring and monitoring sea ice properties and movement and numerically predicting ice growth and extent in Canada's coastal waters.

Scatterometer Climate Record Pathfinder

The Scatterometer Climate Record Pathfinder (SCP) was initiated by NASA as a collaborative study between JPL, BYU, NIC, and ESA in order to develop scatterometer-based data time series to support climate studies of the Earth's cryosphere and biosphere, to measure winds over the ocean from space, and to generate a long-term global microwave radar image dataset of the land and sea-ice covers for the benefit of climate research and operational scatterometer applications. Because the scatterometer radar signal can penetrate the surface, a scatterometer can observe subsurface climate-related features in snowpack and firn and has proved to be very useful in a variety of studies including polar ice and tropical vegetation. The SCP Web and ftp Site is hosted by BYU, and contains an increasing volume of Pathfinder products (both Level 2 images and further Level 3 derived products). Raw scatterometer data products are delivered from JPL to BYU, where they are processed using a variety of different algorithms into the products currently hosted at the SCP URL. The goal of the SCP is to provide scatterometer-based datasets to researchers involved in climate studies. The following is a brief summary of data currently posted on the Scatterometer Climate Record Pathfinder web and ftp site:

Enhanced resolution image data:
SASS data (1978)
ERS-1/2 data (1992-2001) (BYU is still posting data to this site)
NSCAT polar data/land data (1996-97)
A significant fraction of year 2000 QuikSCAT data (BYU have the rest of 2000 ready, but have not yet posted the data)
QuikSCAT 1999 will be added next, followed by 2001 data (estimated time of addition is the end of this summer)
TOPICS analysis and software by Mark Drinkwater
Selected QuikSCAT sea-ice motion data from Tony Liu
QuikSCAT wind estimate Quality Assurance file overlays

Other Links:
Microwave Earth Remote Sensing (MERS) Lab (BYU)
Center for Remote Sensing (BYU)
JPL Physical Oceanography DAAC (NASA)
JPL Polar Oceanography Group (NASA)
JPL Scatterometry Homepage (NASA)

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