Articles | Volume 9, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-357-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-357-2015
Research article
 | 
17 Feb 2015
Research article |  | 17 Feb 2015

Comparing C- and L-band SAR images for sea ice motion estimation

J. Lehtiranta, S. Siiriä, and J. Karvonen

Abstract. Pairs of consecutive C-band synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) images are routinely used for sea ice motion estimation. The L-band radar has a fundamentally different character, as its longer wavelength penetrates deeper into sea ice. L-band SAR provides information on the seasonal sea ice inner structure in addition to the surface roughness that dominates C-band images. This is especially useful in the Baltic Sea, which lacks multiyear ice and icebergs, known to be confusing targets for L-band sea ice classification. In this work, L-band SAR images are investigated for sea ice motion estimation using the well-established maximal cross-correlation (MCC) approach. This work provides the first comparison of L-band and C-band SAR images for the purpose of motion estimation. The cross-correlation calculations are hardware accelerated using new OpenCL-based source code, which is made available through the author's web site. It is found that L-band images are preferable for motion estimation over C-band images. It is also shown that motion estimation is possible between a C-band and an L-band image using the maximal cross-correlation technique.

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Short summary
Satellite radar images are used for detecting and quantifying the motion of sea ice. Traditionally C-band radar images have been used for this purpose. The technique has been shown to work with other frequency bands. This work compares C-band and L-band images for the Baltic Sea. We also show that two images of different bands can be used for sea ice motion estimation.