Automation of Antarctic landfast sea-ice retrieval from MODIS imagery

TL;DRAbstract

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) visible/thermal infrared (IR) imagery has been used to map landfast sea ice along the East Antarctic coast. In the past, this technique has involved creation of 20 day cloud-free composite imagery of the surface, with cloud discrimination provided by the MODIS cloud mask. Typically, several cloud-free views of the surface are available within a 20 day window, leading to blurring of the pack ice in the final composite image and straightforward visual delineation of the sharply defined fast-ice edge. However, particular environmental conditions can present problems for this technique. Such conditions include persistent cloud over the 20 day window, consistent advection of sea ice against the fast-ice edge (i.e. closure of the flaw lead separating pack from fast ice), and inaccuracies in the MODIS cloud mask, particularly during night time. To overcome these difficulties, we have developed a new technique for use with visible or therma

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