CryoSat-2 estimates of Arctic sea ice thickness and volume

Seymour Laxon; Katharine Giles; Andrew L. Ridout; Duncan  Wingham; Rosemary Willatt; Robert Cullen; Ron Kwok; Axel Schweiger; Jinlun Zhang; Christian Haas; Stefan Hendricks; Richard Krishfield; Nathan Kurtz; Sinead Farrell; Malcolm Davidson

doi:10.1002/grl.50193

CryoSat-2 estimates of Arctic sea ice thickness and volume

Seymour Laxon, Katharine Giles^*, Andrew L. Ridout, Duncan Wingham, Rosemary Willatt, Robert Cullen, Ron Kwok, Axel Schweiger, Jinlun Zhang, Christian Haas, Stefan Hendricks, Richard Krishfield, Nathan Kurtz, Sinead Farrell, Malcolm Davidson

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

626 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Satellite records show a decline in ice extent over more than three decades, with a record minimum in September 2012. Results from the Pan-Arctic Ice-Ocean Modelling and Assimilation system (PIOMAS) suggest that the decline in extent has been accompanied by a decline in volume, but this has not been confirmed by data. Using new data from the European Space Agency CryoSat-2 (CS-2) mission, validated with in situ data, we generate estimates of ice volume for the winters of 2010/11 and 2011/12. We compare these data with current estimates from PIOMAS and earlier (2003–8) estimates from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ICESat mission. Between the ICESat and CryoSat-2 periods, the autumn volume declined by 4291 km3 and the winter volume by 1479 km3. This exceeds the decline in ice volume in the central Arctic from the PIOMAS model of 2644 km3 in the autumn, but is less than the 2091 km3 in winter, between the two time periods.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	732-737
Number of pages	7
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	40
Issue number	4
Early online date	28 Jan 2013
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50193
Publication status	Published - 28 Feb 2013
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

sea ice
volume
cryosat
altimetry

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This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1002/grl.50193

Cite this

@article{75702baf423c4c1caf958643cdac3e99,

title = "CryoSat-2 estimates of Arctic sea ice thickness and volume",

abstract = "Satellite records show a decline in ice extent over more than three decades, with a record minimum in September 2012. Results from the Pan-Arctic Ice-Ocean Modelling and Assimilation system (PIOMAS) suggest that the decline in extent has been accompanied by a decline in volume, but this has not been confirmed by data. Using new data from the European Space Agency CryoSat-2 (CS-2) mission, validated with in situ data, we generate estimates of ice volume for the winters of 2010/11 and 2011/12. We compare these data with current estimates from PIOMAS and earlier (2003–8) estimates from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ICESat mission. Between the ICESat and CryoSat-2 periods, the autumn volume declined by 4291 km3 and the winter volume by 1479 km3. This exceeds the decline in ice volume in the central Arctic from the PIOMAS model of 2644 km3 in the autumn, but is less than the 2091 km3 in winter, between the two time periods.",

keywords = "sea ice, volume, cryosat, altimetry",

author = "Seymour Laxon and Katharine Giles and Ridout, {Andrew L.} and Duncan Wingham and Rosemary Willatt and Robert Cullen and Ron Kwok and Axel Schweiger and Jinlun Zhang and Christian Haas and Stefan Hendricks and Richard Krishfield and Nathan Kurtz and Sinead Farrell and Malcolm Davidson",

year = "2013",

month = feb,

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doi = "10.1002/grl.50193",

language = "English",

volume = "40",

pages = "732--737",

journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - CryoSat-2 estimates of Arctic sea ice thickness and volume

AU - Laxon, Seymour

AU - Giles, Katharine

AU - Ridout, Andrew L.

AU - Wingham, Duncan

AU - Willatt, Rosemary

AU - Cullen, Robert

AU - Kwok, Ron

AU - Schweiger, Axel

AU - Zhang, Jinlun

AU - Haas, Christian

AU - Hendricks, Stefan

AU - Krishfield, Richard

AU - Kurtz, Nathan

AU - Farrell, Sinead

AU - Davidson, Malcolm

PY - 2013/2/28

Y1 - 2013/2/28

N2 - Satellite records show a decline in ice extent over more than three decades, with a record minimum in September 2012. Results from the Pan-Arctic Ice-Ocean Modelling and Assimilation system (PIOMAS) suggest that the decline in extent has been accompanied by a decline in volume, but this has not been confirmed by data. Using new data from the European Space Agency CryoSat-2 (CS-2) mission, validated with in situ data, we generate estimates of ice volume for the winters of 2010/11 and 2011/12. We compare these data with current estimates from PIOMAS and earlier (2003–8) estimates from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ICESat mission. Between the ICESat and CryoSat-2 periods, the autumn volume declined by 4291 km3 and the winter volume by 1479 km3. This exceeds the decline in ice volume in the central Arctic from the PIOMAS model of 2644 km3 in the autumn, but is less than the 2091 km3 in winter, between the two time periods.

AB - Satellite records show a decline in ice extent over more than three decades, with a record minimum in September 2012. Results from the Pan-Arctic Ice-Ocean Modelling and Assimilation system (PIOMAS) suggest that the decline in extent has been accompanied by a decline in volume, but this has not been confirmed by data. Using new data from the European Space Agency CryoSat-2 (CS-2) mission, validated with in situ data, we generate estimates of ice volume for the winters of 2010/11 and 2011/12. We compare these data with current estimates from PIOMAS and earlier (2003–8) estimates from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ICESat mission. Between the ICESat and CryoSat-2 periods, the autumn volume declined by 4291 km3 and the winter volume by 1479 km3. This exceeds the decline in ice volume in the central Arctic from the PIOMAS model of 2644 km3 in the autumn, but is less than the 2091 km3 in winter, between the two time periods.

KW - sea ice

KW - volume

KW - cryosat

KW - altimetry

U2 - 10.1002/grl.50193

DO - 10.1002/grl.50193

M3 - Article

SN - 0094-8276

VL - 40

SP - 732

EP - 737

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 4

ER -