Use of Radar Data from Okean-Series Satellites in Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring

Abstract

The principal results of many years of experience in work on the use of satellite radar data in solving problems in hydrometeorology and environmental monitoring are presented. This experience shows that the aforementioned information has come into most widespread use when solving problems involved in the monitoring of ice conditions in the Earth's polar regions. In the final analysis, satellite radar images have become the principal source of information in support for hydrometeorological work in the Arctic and Antarctica, and are important in climatological studies as well.

Satellite monitoring of ice conditions in polar regions

“…The SRC "Planeta" and CMMGI have adapted lineament analysis (earlier it was used for land surface [9]) to study the sea ice structure in the Arctic region. Revealed that it is possible to estimate the order and drifting parameters of sea ice fractured structure according to the distribution of lineaments depicted on different time series satellite images, also areas of increased density of lineaments were deformed greatly, thus maximum number of compressions and tension of the ice cover was also depicted.…”

“…Ice cove area diverging has been increased in the eastern part of monitored area in the western part-ice cover compaction and displacement to south and southwest with a rate of 0.7 km/day took place in the western Arctic, even considering missing data a small negative trend can be found (the area of multiyear ice decreased by ~5%) [7,9].…”

“…In particular, a result of such collabora tion is the technique of automatic recognition and classification of the objects by using the multispectral images obtained by the satellites. The procedure for recognition and classification without learning (clus ter analysis) and classification with learning were implemented in the software that supports this tech nique [7][8][9]. In the software package, the uncon trolled classification (cluster analysis) was presented by two algorithms: the K mean method and the method for analyzing the modes of multidimensional histograms.…”

“…For the first time the digital radiolocation map of Antarctica was generated by using the methods devel oped at SRC "Planeta" [7,9]. The first chart was gen erated in 1986 just after the radar observation was done.…”