A team of scientists develop ultra-sensitive orbital imaging technique

Nov 14, 2013 10:12 GMT  ·  By
Example of data obtained through the new method of surveying ices developed at JPL and NOAA
   Example of data obtained through the new method of surveying ices developed at JPL and NOAA

A group of scientists in the United States announces the development of a new technique for monitoring ice extent and health above the Great Lakes, an achievement that could help improve winter-time economic ties between the US and Canada. The method uses satellites to discover very narrow features on the surface of the five lakes. 

A researcher from NASA and one from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) developed the technique, which uses satellites up in Earth's orbit to image Great Lake ices in real time. The data are then transmitted to ships trying to make their way through.

A test of the new technique revealed that it is sensitive enough to detect the narrow channel left behind by an icebreaker traveling at night. This capability is very important because US-Canadian shipping, fishing and public safety are severely affected when the lakes freeze over.

“In the dark, it's difficult to read a map that's right in front of you. Yet we now have a way to use satellite radars almost 500 miles [800 kilometers] out in space to see through clouds and darkness and map ice across the Great Lakes,” says Son Nghiem.

The expert, who holds an appointment with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, is one of the co-developers of the new monitoring method. He created the technique with scientist George Leshkevich, from the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In addition to their economic effect, Great Lake ices also have other consequences, including winter and spring floods triggered by jammed ice packs. Additionally, the ices influence the environment around the Great Lakes, and produce a host of ecological shifts in the ecosystem as well.

The monitoring method the team developed addresses this gap in data by using radar images from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) RADARSAT-1/2 satellites, the European Space Agency (ESA) European Remote Sensing Satellite 2 (ERS-2), and NASA's Envisat.

“These maps will provide important information for environmental management, ice forecasting and modeling, off-shore wind farm development, operational icebreaking activities in support of winter navigation, and science research,” Leshkevich concludes.