A Comprehensive, Automated Approach to Determining Sea Ice Thickness from SAR Data

Authors

Donna Haverkamp, University of Kansas
Leen-Kiat Soh, University of NebraskaFollow
Costas Tsatsoulis, University of KansasFollow

Date of this Version

1-1995

Comments

Published in IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING, VOL. 33, NO. I , JANUARY 1995. Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/36.368223 Copyright 1995 IEEE. Used by permission.

Abstract

This paper documents an approach to sea ice classification through a combination of methods, both algorithmic and heuristic. The resulting system is a comprehensive technique, which uses dynamic local thresholding as a classification basis and then supplements that initial classification using heuristic geophysical knowledge organized in expert systems. The dynamic local thresholding method allows separation of the ice into thickness classes based on local intensity distributions. Because it utilizes the data within each image, it can adapt to varying ice thickness intensities to regional and seasonal charges and is not subject to limitations caused by using predefined parameters.