TY - JOUR
T1 - Greenland 2012 melt event effects on CryoSat-2 radar altimetry
AU - Nilsson, Johan
AU - Vallelonga, Paul Travis
AU - Simonsen, Sebastian Bjerregaard
AU - Sørensen, Louise Sandberg
AU - Forsberg, René
AU - Dahl-Jensen, Dorthe
AU - Hirabayashi, Motohiro
AU - Goto-Azuma, Kumiko
AU - Hvidberg, Christine S.
AU - Kjær, Helle A.
AU - Satow, Kazuhide
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - CryoSat-2 data are used to study elevation changes over an area in the interior part of the
Greenland Ice Sheet during the extreme melt event in July 2012. The penetration of the radar signal into
dry snow depends heavily on the snow stratigraphy, and the rapid formation of refrozen ice layers can bias
the surface elevations obtained from radar altimetry. We investigate the change in CryoSat-2 waveforms
and elevation estimates over the melt event and interpret the findings by comparing in situ surface and
snow pit observations from the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling Project camp. The investigation shows
a major transition of scattering properties around the area, and an apparent elevation increase of 56±26 cm
is observed in reprocessed CryoSat-2 data. We suggest that this jump in elevation can be explained by the
formation of a refrozen melt layer that raised the reflective surface, introducing a positive elevation bias.
AB - CryoSat-2 data are used to study elevation changes over an area in the interior part of the
Greenland Ice Sheet during the extreme melt event in July 2012. The penetration of the radar signal into
dry snow depends heavily on the snow stratigraphy, and the rapid formation of refrozen ice layers can bias
the surface elevations obtained from radar altimetry. We investigate the change in CryoSat-2 waveforms
and elevation estimates over the melt event and interpret the findings by comparing in situ surface and
snow pit observations from the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling Project camp. The investigation shows
a major transition of scattering properties around the area, and an apparent elevation increase of 56±26 cm
is observed in reprocessed CryoSat-2 data. We suggest that this jump in elevation can be explained by the
formation of a refrozen melt layer that raised the reflective surface, introducing a positive elevation bias.
U2 - 10.1002/2015GL063296
DO - 10.1002/2015GL063296
M3 - Journal article
VL - 42
SP - 3919
EP - 3926
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
SN - 0094-8276
ER -