Application of Seawinds Scatterometer Data to the Study of Antarctic Icebergs
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Application of SeaWinds Scatterometer Data to the Study of Antarctic Icebergs Keith M. Stuart A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy David G. Long, Chair Richard W. Christiansen David J. Comer Dah Jye Lee Julie C. Vanderhoff Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Brigham Young University December 2012 Copyright © 2012 Keith M. Stuart All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Application of SeaWinds Scatterometer Data to the Study of Antarctic Icebergs Keith M. Stuart Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Doctor of Philosophy Knowledge of iceberg location and size is important for safety reasons as well as for understanding many geophysical and biological processes. This dissertation analyzes large tab- ular icebergs in the Southern Ocean using the SeaWinds scatterometer. SeaWinds is a space- borne radar designed to measure the microwave backscatter from the Earth’s surface. Using resolution-enhancement techniques, backscatter measurements are processed into backscatter im- ages in which icebergs can be observed. An iceberg detection methodology is formalized using daily scatterometer images. Radar profiles from common Antarctic scatterers are quantified and an iceberg detection methodology is formalized using daily scatterometer images. Iceberg positions are determined in real-time and a time-series of iceberg positions is maintained in an Antarctic iceberg database. Using the Antarctic iceberg database, characteristic iceberg motion trends are identified. Iceberg detection and track- ing is demonstrated through real-time operational support of the 2005, 2008, and 2009 National Science Foundation Antarctic cruises. To supplement iceberg position reports, I develop multiple algorithms to estimate iceberg size and rotational orientation from backscatter images and from raw backscatter measurements. Estimates derived from SeaWinds images are found to be more accurate. Using iceberg size pa- rameters in conjunction with Newton’s equations of motion and forcing profiles (e.g., ocean and air currents), I also develop an iceberg motion model to predict the translational and rotational motion of large tabular icebergs. To improve model results, a Kalman filter is used to incorporate actual iceberg measurements into the motion model, and statistics from the Kalman filter are used to eval- uate model performance. Simulated iceberg motion is found to best coincide with observed iceberg motion in regions where slower iceberg drift speeds are observed. The model is less accurate at high speeds. The iceberg motion model is inverted to produce estimates of ocean currents given observa- tions of iceberg size and motion. Multiple ocean current estimates are combined using reconstruc- tion techniques and compared with numerically-derived ocean currents from the Ocean Circulation and Climate Advanced Modeling (OCCAM) project. It is found that reconstructed ocean currents coincide with OCCAM currents in regions where observed iceberg motion is not extreme. Also, reconstructed ocean currents coincide more with OCCAM currents that have been averaged over multiple years than with monthly-reported values. Keywords: SeaWinds, scatterometer, iceberg, Southern Ocean ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the many teachers and mentors who have inspired, guided, and shown me that there are always wonderful things to explore. I acknowledge the guidance of Dr. David Long, my academic adviser who introduced me to the field of remote sensing. I would also like to thank the National Science Foundation for their support of the 2005, 2008, and 2009 Antarctic cruises as well as the officers, crew, and scientists aboard the first cruise ARSV L.M. Gould cruise LMG05-014A and the second and third cruises RVIB N.B. Palmer, NBP08-06 and NBP09-02, for their hard work at sea. Most of all, I acknowledge my wife, Jessica Stuart, whose support and encouragement has made this work possible. Table of Contents List of Tables ix List of Figures x 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Motivation . .1 1.2 Previous Work . .1 1.2.1 Safety . .1 1.2.2 Science . .3 1.2.3 Radar . .5 1.3 Approach . .7 1.4 Research Contributions . .8 1.5 Outline . .9 2 Background 10 2.1 Introduction . 10 2.2 SeaWinds . 10 2.3 Resolution Enhancement . 13 3 Detecting Icebergs 17 3.1 Introduction . 17 iv 3.2 SeaWinds Backscatter Images . 17 3.3 Scattering Theory . 18 3.4 Antarctic Backscatter Profiles . 21 3.5 Iceberg Detection . 25 3.5.1 Detection Methodology . 26 3.5.2 NRT Iceberg Detection . 28 3.6 Conclusion . 28 4 Tracking Icebergs 29 4.1 Introduction . 29 4.2 Iceberg Database . 29 4.3 Iceberg Counts . 30 4.4 Iceberg Movement Profiles . 30 4.5 Case Study of Iceberg C19a . 33 4.6 NSF Cruise Case Studies . 33 4.6.1 The 2005 Cruise . 35 4.6.2 The 2008 Cruise . 37 4.6.3 The 2009 Cruise . 38 4.6.4 Sample Data . 41 4.7 Discussion . 43 4.8 Conclusion . 45 5 Estimating Iceberg Size and Orientation 47 5.1 Introduction . 47 5.2 Background . 47 5.3 Iceberg Model . 49 v 5.4 Estimation Algorithm . 51 5.4.1 Image-based Estimation . 51 5.4.2 Measurement-based Estimation . 53 5.4.3 Algorithm Comparison . 54 5.5 Performance . 55 5.5.1 Simulation . 55 5.5.2 Case Study . 59 5.5.3 Time-series . 64 5.6 Discussion . 72 5.7 Conclusion . 74 6 Estimating Iceberg Motion 76 6.1 Introduction . 76 6.2 Background . 78 6.2.1 Climatological Datasets . 78 6.2.2 Iceberg Datasets . 79 6.3 Iceberg Model . 80 6.4 Estimation Algorithm . 82 6.4.1 Equations of Motion . 82 6.4.2 Numerical Integration . 87 6.4.3 Data Assimilation . 89 6.5 Performance . 91 6.5.1 Simulation . 91 6.5.2 Case Study . 100 6.5.3 Data Assimilation . 105 vi 6.6 Discussion . 114 6.7 Conclusion . 119 7 Estimating Ocean Currents 121 7.1 Introduction . 121 7.2 Models . 122 7.2.1 Iceberg Motion Model . 122 7.2.2 Physical Iceberg Model . 124 7.2.3 Ocean Model . 124 7.3 Estimation Algorithms . 125 7.3.1 Iceberg Tracks Simulation . 125 7.3.2 Ocean Currents . 126 7.4 Performance . 129 7.4.1 Iceberg Tracks . 129 7.4.2 Ocean Currents . 132 7.5 Conclusion . 139 8 Conclusion 140 8.1 Summary of Contributions . 140 8.2 Future Work . 142 Bibliography 144 A Map of the Southern Ocean 152 B A Review of Microwave Scattering from Antarctic Targets 154 B.1 Surface and Volume Scattering . 154 vii B.2 Antarctic Scatterers . 155 B.2.1 Sea Water . 155 B.2.2 Sea Ice . 156 B.2.3 Glacial Ice . 157 C Drag on an Iceberg.