Monitoring Bering Sea ice change using reconstructed NSCAT imagery

Scatterometers are active microwave instruments designed to measure ocean wind speed and direction. Recently they have been tested for the mapping of sea ice. In preparation for the launch of QuikSCAT, the goal of this research was to develop an ice delineation algorithm for the Bering Sea using reconstructed NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) data. The algorithm was designed to utilize simple backscatter, image texture, and vertical / horizontal polarization ratios to track the advance of the Bearing Sea ice edge during late winter of 1997. The results of the image processing were compared to the published National Ice Center maps for the same period. There was good agreement between the two products. The greatest challenge in developing the algorithm was detecting the sea ice in areas of very low concentration.