Helicopter-Borne Passive-Microwave Sea Ice Brightness Temperatures from SIPEX II

AU_AADC collected sea ice surface brightness temperatures at 36Ghz-H,V using a helicopter-mounted passive-microwave radiometer during the 2012 SIPEX II voyage. The sensor is identical to those on the AMSR-E and AMSR2 satellites. Data was last updated in October 2012.

Use Cases

• Validate AMSR-E and AMSR2 satellite sea ice brightness temperature retrievals using co-located helicopter-borne sensor data.
• Analyze temporal trends in sea ice brightness temperature from the time column during the SIPEX II expedition.
• Correlate brightness temperature measurements with GPS position and altitude data from the associated RAPPLS dataset for spatial analysis.
• Study sea ice surface properties and variability using the 36Ghz-H and 36Ghz-V polarization channels.

Strengths

• Sensor is identical to those on major satellite platforms (AMSR-E, AMSR2), enabling direct validation.
• Data can be spatially and temporally joined with the detailed RAPPLS dataset containing GPS and altitude.

Limitations

• Dataset size, row count, and specific column details beyond time and brightness temperature are unknown.
• Temporal coverage is limited to the single SIPEX II voyage in 2012.

Provenance

Source

AU_AADC (Australian Antarctic Data Centre).

Collection Method

Collected via a portable 36Ghz passive-microwave radiometer mounted on a Squirrel helicopter.

Time Range

2012, during the SIPEX II voyage.

Freshness

Data is from a 2012 expedition with a final update in October 2012.

Geography

Sea ice regions surveyed during the Aurora Australis SIPEX II voyage in the Southern Ocean.