The Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL): Expected Mission Contributions

Kern, Michael; Cullen, R.; Berruti, B.; Bouffard, Jérôme; Casal, Tânia; Drinkwater, Mark R.; Gabriele, A.; Lecuyot, Arnaud; Ludwig, Michael; Midthassel, Rolv; Traver, Ignacio Navas; Parrinello, Tommaso; Ressler, Gerhard; Andersson, Eric; Puig, Cristina Martin; Andersen, Ole; Bartsch, Annett; Farrell, S. L.; Fleury, Sara; Gascoin, Simon; Guillot, Amandine; Humbert, Angelika; Rinne, Eero; Shepherd, Andrew; Broeke, M. R. van den; Yackel, John J.

doi:10.5194/tc-2020-3

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…are placed into orbits and some of them such as Sentinel-6/Jason-CS are to become operational missions. New missions SWOT (Morrow et al 2019), Quanlan (Chen et al 2019), CRISTAL (Kern et al 2020), etc.) are planned by various nations, organizations, and space agencies and are on their way to support Earth observation and drive the advancement of Geophysics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Satellite Altimetry

Mertikas¹,

Kokolakis²

2020

Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics

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Altimetry is a technique for measuring heights. Satellite altimetry measures the time taken by an electromagnetic pulse to propagate from the satellite to the surface and back to the satellite Satellite Altimetry Satellite altimetry is a technique of measuring heights of the Earth's surface from a satellite flying approximately at an attitude of about 1000 km. The word "altimetry" originates from the Latin "altus," meaning "high" and the Greek suffix "metry" ("metrίa," as in Geometry , Trigonometry , etc.) denoting the science or scientific discipline related to measuring heights. At the beginning, the objective of altimetry has been to measure height principally of sea surface to an accuracy of about AE1 cm, continuously, objectively, and on a global scale. Altimeters measure distances, or ranges, from a satellite to the Earth's surface and principally onto the sea, inland water levels (lakes, rivers) and ice surfaces as well (Fig. 1). Measurements of altimetric heights are thus creating profiles of the Earth's surface along satellite orbits with respect to Earth's center of mass. Satellite observations coming from altimeters, like those of Sentinel-3, Jason-3, CryoSat-2, IceSat-2, HY-2, and others, address several applications in solid Earth geophysics. Gravity determination, natural resources exploration, ocean circulation and variability, ice topography, hydrology, geodesy, climate change, bathymetry, sea-floor topography, etc., are a few applications of satellite altimetry.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Satellite Altimetry

Mertikas¹,

Kokolakis²

2020

Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics

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“…Proposed candidate missions to expand the Copernicus mission show that ESA will continue to focus on the cryosphere, but with dual-frequency missions (e.g. CRISTAL) designed for polar regions rather than mountain glaciers (Kern et al, 2020). In satellite-based radar systems, two upcoming L-band missions look to reintroduce subsurface imaging to the forefront of glacier remote sensing.…”

Section: Radar Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote sensing of the mountain cryosphere: Current capabilities and future opportunities for research

Taylor

Quincey

Smith

et al. 2021

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

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Remote sensing technologies are integral to monitoring the mountain cryosphere in a warming world. Satellite missions and field-based platforms have transformed understanding of the processes driving changes in mountain glacier dynamics, snow cover, lake evolution, and the associated emergence of hazards (e.g. avalanches, floods, landslides). Sensors and platforms are becoming more bespoke, with innovation being driven by the commercial sector, and image repositories are more frequently open access, leading to the democratisation of data analysis and interpretation. Cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are rapidly transforming our ability to handle this exponential increase in data. This review therefore provides a timely opportunity to synthesise current capabilities in remote sensing of the mountain cryosphere. Scientific and commercial applications were critically examined, recognising the technologies that have most advanced the discipline. Low-cost sensors can also be deployed in the field, using microprocessors and telecommunications equipment to connect mountain glaciers to stakeholders for real-time monitoring. The potential for novel automated pipelines that can process vast volumes of data is also discussed, from reimagining historical aerial imagery to produce elevation models, to automatically delineating glacier boundaries. Finally, the applications of these emerging techniques that will benefit scientific research avenues and real-world societal programmes are discussed.

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“…Airborne radars are also an invaluable tool for the validation of existing satellite data and for the exploration of future orbital mission concepts [9]. For example, the upcoming Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL) mission is aimed at providing sea ice thickness retrievals and monitoring ice-sheet surface changes from space [10]. The mission will carry out coincident radar measurements at Ku-and Ka-bands to provide improved spatio-temporal resolution for the monthly quantification of sea ice thickness [11]; and for firn density estimates, which are needed for ice sheet mass-balance assessment and prognosis [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Compact, Reconfigurable, Multi-UWB Radar for Snow Thickness Evaluation and Altimetry: Development and Field Trials

Rodriguez‐Morales

Alvestegui

et al. 2021

IEEE J. Sel. Top. Appl. Earth Observations Remote Sensing

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We developed a portable ultra-wideband radar system capable of reconfigurable operation in multiple frequency bands (separate or simultaneous) spanning from microwaves through millimeter-waves. The instrument provides a compact solution for fine-resolution measurements of elevation changes and superficial snow/firn thickness from low-altitude, mid-sized airborne platforms. In this paper, we provide an overview of the radar system design and its performance during laboratory testing. We demonstrate its application in aerial surveys of snow layer thickness at S/C bands, dual-band airborne altimetry at Ku/Ka-bands, and present first-order comparisons with coincident airborne lidar data.

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The Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL): Expected Mission Contributions

Cited by 9 publications

References 36 publications

Satellite Altimetry

Satellite Altimetry

Remote sensing of the mountain cryosphere: Current capabilities and future opportunities for research

A Compact, Reconfigurable, Multi-UWB Radar for Snow Thickness Evaluation and Altimetry: Development and Field Trials

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