Using cosmo-skymed images to detect wet snow cover on the Kraków Ice Field, King George Island, Antarctica

Abstract

This work analysed the spatio-temporal variation of snow cover on the Kraków Ice Field, located in the King George Island, Antarctica. High spatial resolution images of COSMO-SkyMed were used in this study. These X-band images are vertically and horizontally co-polarized and their intensity data were converted to amplitude (dB). The COSMO-SkyMed images were classified by a minimum distance algorithm and post-classified based on knowledge of adjacency relationships of snow zones. Hypsometric, slope, aspect and solar radiation maps to support the interpretation of backscatter patterns in the COSMO-SkyMed images. Three radar zones were classified in these images: percolation, slush and wet snow radar zone. Positive surface air temperatures and rainfall events, registered from a meteorological station, lead to increase in wet snow and slush zones. The COSMO-SkyMed images and minimum distance algorithm were adequate to discriminate the snow cover and to assess the supraglacial melting pattern during the ablation season in the study area.

Keywords:

• Polar remote sensing
• snow wet zone
• radar imagery

Acknowledgement

The images used in this study were kindly provided under COSMO-SkyMed, Project 2294 from the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.