Oceanic Dynamic Phenomena and Sea Ice in the Southern Okhotsk Sea: Study with Alos Palsar and Ancillary Data

OCEANIC DYNAMIC PHENOMENA AND SEA ICE IN THE SOUTHERN OKHOTSK SEA: STUDY WITH ALOS PALSAR AND ANCILLARY DATA

Leonid M. Mitnik

V.I. Il`ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute Far Easten Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences

43 Baltiyskaya St., 690041 Vladivostok, Russia Ph: 07.4232.312854, fax: 07.4232.312573, E-mail: [email protected] Outlines

• Introduction. ALOS PALSAR • Selection of test areas • PALSAR images and ancillary data. • Okhotsk Sea between Sakhalin and Hokkaido - Soya Warm Current - Internal waves - Ice eddies • Southeastern Sakhalin shelf. Sea ice. • Field measurements of the sea surface roughness • Conclusion The Southern Okhotsk Sea is characterized by significant seasonal variations of oceanic fields. Intended coastal line, straits connecting the Okhotsk Sea with the Japan Sea and the Pacific Ocean, cyclone’s Okhotsk passing and river's discharge Sea 50 N are responsible for complicated

Sakhalin water dynamics. Its mesoscale and finescale structure and evolution has not been adequately explored. Japan ALOS PALSAR is a valuable Sea tool providing all-weather 45 N images of the sea surface that were used to reveal the signatures caused by currents, eddies, internal waves and sea ice. ALOS - Advanced Land Observing Satellite

ALOS was launched on 24 January 2006

http://www.palsar.ersdac.or.jp/e/index.shtml

Center frequency, MHz 1270 Range resolution, m 7 ~ 44 14 ~ 88 100 Swath width, km 40 ~ 70 40 ~ 70 250 ~ 350 Polarization VV, HH, VH. HV Incidence angle, degrees 8-60; 19-43 AIMS

The main aims of this ongoing research are: • to estimate the potential of ALOS L-band PALSAR images to study the oceanic dynamic phenomena and sea ice in the coastal zone and in the open sea and • to improve interpretation of PALSAR signatures using multisensor observations. QuikSCAT Data

ALOS PALSAR PRI images ALOS PALSAR QL images ERS-1/1 SAR and Envisat ASAR images. QuikSCAT-derived winds, QuikSCAT Terra and Aqua MODIS and

Aqua NOAA AVHRR visible and infrared images, Aqua AMSR-E brightness temperatures and products, surface analysis maps, bottom topography, etc. Selection of test areas

1. Variety of dynamic oceanic and atmospheric phenomena influencing on radar backscattering 2. Seasonal changes, location at different climatic zones 3. Previous experience based on analysis of C-band ERS-1/2 SAR and Envisat ASAR images 4. Availability of relevant remote and in situ data 1st test area The area between 49 N Southern Sakhalin and Hokkaido and Kuril Straits:

currents, tidal currents, eddies, 44 N mushroom-like eddies, internal waves, bottom topography, sea ice 1st test area. Experience

(a) (b)

Хоккайдо

Хоккайдо Хоккайдо

The Soya Warm Current area on 13 May 2002: (a) ERS-2 SAR image at 18 UTC and (b) NOAA AVHRR IR image at 03:50 UTC. Contours of SAR signatures are shown by dark lines. 1st test area. Experience

14 October 14 October 2002 2002 Sakhalin Sakhalin

B el w t a of B ter co e l w lt d a o te f r co ld eddies eddies

So C ya S u Wa oy rr a W e r Cu a nt m rr rm ent Hokkaido Hokkaido

NOAA AVHRR at 06:14 UTC NOAA AVHRR at 16:18 UTC 5 September 2006, VV 5 Sep 2006, ALOSALOS VV PALSAR Cape PALSAR Krilion 4 October 2006, VV Stones of Dangerous

La Perouse Internal waves Strait

5 Sep 2006, VV

Cape Soya ALOSALOS PALSARPALSAR 4 1 Soya Warm Current and 4 Aniva Bay on PALSAR 2 3 image acquired on 17 Sep 2006 at 01:15 UTC: 1 – current front, 2 – warm current waters, 3 – cold waters 1 1 4 – packets of internal waves

2 Hokkaido ALOSALOS PALSARPALSAR

Surface manifestations of internal waves to the east of Aniva Cape and bottom topography to the south of cape on PALSAR image acquired on 17 Sep 2006 at 01:15 UTC: Numerous packets of internal waves generated by the bottom signatures in the area of Moneron island on ALOS PALSAR image acquired on 9 September 2006 at 01:04 UTC Sakhalin 4 ALOS PALSAR 9 PALSAR image of the

6 Southwest Okhotsk Sea 3 acquired on 19 January 7 2008 at 01:15 UTC. 5 1 – Rishiri Island, 2 – Cape Soya, 2 3 - Cape Krilion, 1 4 – Cape Aniva, 5 – La Perouse Strait, 6 – Aniva Bay,

8 7 – strong winds, 7 8 – squall line, Hokkaido 9 - thin ice. ALOS PALSAR Terra MODIS

Sakhalin 4 9 9 4

6 3 3 7 7 5

9 1 2 2

8 8 7 Hokkaido Hokkaido

01:15 UTC 01:05 UTC ALOSALOS PALSARPALSAR

19 Jan 2008 1 01:15 UTC

Hokkaido 1919 JanuaryJanuary 20082008

ALOSALOS PALSARPALSAR Terra MODIS 01:15 UTC 01:05 UTC

Hokkaido Hokkaido Kuril Straits ALOS PALSAR 2 July 2008, 01:15 UTC 7 Jan 2008, 12:24 UTC

Okhotsk Sea Urup Iturup

Kunashir Iturup

Pacific Ocean (a) (b) 2nd test area Okhotsk Sea Okhotsk Sea shelf: 50 N Ice Sakhalin coastal fronts, internal waves, sea ice

7 December 2003 Sakhalin

45 N Hokkaido

Hokkaido (b) 11 November 2003 (a) 2nd test area Okhotsk Sea shelf Ice Experience

Mesoscale convective rolls and cells on

7 December 2003 satellite images Sakhalin Ice acquired on 10 January 2007 (a) at 11:39 UTC by NOAA-17 AVHRR and (b) at 11:46 UTC by Envisat ASAR Hokkaido Wind speed Okhotsk Sea 10 January 2007

QuikSCAT-derived

Kamchatka wind field acquired on 09:13 UTC. Dark lines mark the

Sakhalin boundariesSakhalin of Envisat ASAR image taken at 11:46 UTC.

Hokkaido

Hokkaido Okhotsk Sea. 10 January 2007

(a) Ice (b) Ice

Ice Ice Sakhalin

Brightness temperatures with H-pol measured by Aqua AMSR-E at 36.5 GHz (a) and at 89.0 GHz (b) at 16:35Hokkaido UTC Okhotsk Sea. 10 January 2007

(a) Ice (b) Ice

7 December 2003 Ice IceSakhalin

kg/m2 kg/m2 Aqua AMSR-E-derived total water vapor content (a) and total cloud liquid water content (b) over the OkhotskHokkaido Sea at 16:35 UTC Okhotsk Sea 10 January 2007 QuikSCAT-derived wind speed is 15-17 m/s. Parameters of convective rolls in the area of 50.0-50.4°N, 148.3- 148.8°E computed from Aqua AMSR-E brightness temperature 7at December 89.0 GHz 2003 with horizontal Sakhalin polarization at 16:35 UTC. Wavelength 20 km. Brightness temperatures (K) cloud band between 1 186.3 177.9 2 185.4 180.0

3Hokkaido 185.8 180.3 ALOS Sakhalin PALSAR 26 Jan 2008 01:02 UTC Terra MODIS 01:10 UTC

QuikSCAT- derived wind at 09:30 UTC Aqua AMSR-E 26 Jan 2008 02:30 UTC

Roll convection

Hokkaido

Hokkaido ALOS PALSAR Measurements of the sea surface roughness at POI Maine Station “Cape Shults”, Japan Sea Measurements of the sea surface roughness Standard deviation of slopes Wind speed and direction

Envisat ASAR ConclusionConclusion

• ALOS PALSAR (ERS-2, Envisat ASAR and RADARSAT SAR) is a great tool for analysis of the oceanic dynamic phenomena with high spatial resolution and all weather capability. QuikSCAT can provide low resolution wind data important for synoptic survey and numerical modeling. • Terra and Aqua MODIS images with 250-m resolution give better insight in relationships between optical and radar signatures of various types of sea ice, between cloudiness and surface wind. • Synergy between SAR images, visible and IR images, AMSR-E brightness temperatures and products can be a power tool for study and monitoring both the oceanic and atmospheric phenomena/ processes. The area between Southern Sakhalin and Hokkaido can be suggested as a test area for comparison and tuning of theories of the radar backscattering under different oceanic and atmospheric conditions. Thanks you to JAXA and ESA for satellite SAR images.

This study was carried out within JAXA ALOS PALSAR projects No. 356.