SWOT Observations Over Sea Ice: A First Look
Abstract We present a first examination of observations from the surface water and ocean topography (SWOT) mission over the polar oceans. In SWOT, bright, quasi‐specular leads are associated with lower heights relative to the surrounding ice cover. Surface heights and freeboard from SWOT and ICESat‐...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL116079 |
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| author | Sahra Kacimi Sermsak Jaruwatanadilok Ron Kwok |
| author_facet | Sahra Kacimi Sermsak Jaruwatanadilok Ron Kwok |
| author_sort | Sahra Kacimi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We present a first examination of observations from the surface water and ocean topography (SWOT) mission over the polar oceans. In SWOT, bright, quasi‐specular leads are associated with lower heights relative to the surrounding ice cover. Surface heights and freeboard from SWOT and ICESat‐2 are compared in two near‐coincident segments in the Beaufort and the Weddell Seas. Correlations and mean differences between these 30‐km ICESat‐2 and SWOT height segments are 0.91 (−0.02 ± 0.08 m) in the Beaufort and 0.65 (0.01 ± 0.09 m) in the Weddell. Differences in freeboards using minimum height as a reference sea surface are 0.04 ± 0.08 m and −0.01 ± 0.09 m; minimum heights are localized within the same lead features of the two segments. The SWOT wide‐swath radar altimeter can, for the first time, provide two‐dimensional mappings of the spatial variability of freeboard and ice thickness — crucial information that will enhance our understanding of the physical mechanisms driving the decline of sea ice covers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b23013057c3b4d23bfcdeb2d1391cb66 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-b23013057c3b4d23bfcdeb2d1391cb662025-08-20T03:10:31ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-05-015210n/an/a10.1029/2025GL116079SWOT Observations Over Sea Ice: A First LookSahra Kacimi0Sermsak Jaruwatanadilok1Ron Kwok2Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USAJet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USAPolar Science Center Applied Physics Laboratory University of Washington Seattle WA USAAbstract We present a first examination of observations from the surface water and ocean topography (SWOT) mission over the polar oceans. In SWOT, bright, quasi‐specular leads are associated with lower heights relative to the surrounding ice cover. Surface heights and freeboard from SWOT and ICESat‐2 are compared in two near‐coincident segments in the Beaufort and the Weddell Seas. Correlations and mean differences between these 30‐km ICESat‐2 and SWOT height segments are 0.91 (−0.02 ± 0.08 m) in the Beaufort and 0.65 (0.01 ± 0.09 m) in the Weddell. Differences in freeboards using minimum height as a reference sea surface are 0.04 ± 0.08 m and −0.01 ± 0.09 m; minimum heights are localized within the same lead features of the two segments. The SWOT wide‐swath radar altimeter can, for the first time, provide two‐dimensional mappings of the spatial variability of freeboard and ice thickness — crucial information that will enhance our understanding of the physical mechanisms driving the decline of sea ice covers.https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL116079sea icealtimetrySWOT |
| spellingShingle | Sahra Kacimi Sermsak Jaruwatanadilok Ron Kwok SWOT Observations Over Sea Ice: A First Look Geophysical Research Letters sea ice altimetry SWOT |
| title | SWOT Observations Over Sea Ice: A First Look |
| title_full | SWOT Observations Over Sea Ice: A First Look |
| title_fullStr | SWOT Observations Over Sea Ice: A First Look |
| title_full_unstemmed | SWOT Observations Over Sea Ice: A First Look |
| title_short | SWOT Observations Over Sea Ice: A First Look |
| title_sort | swot observations over sea ice a first look |
| topic | sea ice altimetry SWOT |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL116079 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sahrakacimi swotobservationsoverseaiceafirstlook AT sermsakjaruwatanadilok swotobservationsoverseaiceafirstlook AT ronkwok swotobservationsoverseaiceafirstlook |