High-resolution sea-ice motions from AMSR-E imagery

Passive microwave remote-sensing imagery has proven to be a useful source for sea-ice motions because of its all-sky capabilities. However, the low spatial resolution of the passive microwave sensors has not allowed the retrieval of small-scale motion details such as lead and ridge formation. The NASA Earth Observing System Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) has more than double the spatial resolution of previous passive microwave sensors, allowing it to track the formation of moderate-sized leads and yield much more detailed and more accurate ice-motion estimates. Comparisons with buoys indicate that AMSR-E motions have errors > 30% lower than ice motions derived from the previous passive microwave sensors. While AMSR-E still cannot retrieve the same level of detail as synthetic aperture radars or visible/infrared sensors, AMSR-E's complete coverage can better capture the ephemeral motions of the sea-ice cover on daily, and potentially sub-daily, timescales.