Identification of the Baltic and White Seas ice cover based on satellite altimetry and radiometry

The article presents the results of ice cover identification of the Baltic and White Seas based on the satellite altimetry and radiometry data. For this purpose, the study analyzed the joint distribution of the radio brightness temperature of the underlying surface, measured by two channels (18.7 and 34.0 GHz) with an on-board microwave radiometer, and the backscattering coefficient at the Ku frequency calculated by the altimeter. The analysis of the joint distribution of these parameters identified two areas of the cluster that corresponded to pure water and ice accumulation. The study was carried out using the topological filtering algorithm DPS (Discrete Perfect Sets) and subsequent isolation of the most massive 3-D condensations. Verification of these areas was carried out according to a series of images in the visible range of the MODIS multi-channel spectroradiometers, installed on the Terra and Aqua satellites. The study also relies on ENVISAT satellite MERIS spectrometer data and the spectrometer data of Landsat series of satellites.