Abstract:

Sea ice has a heat isolation effect that could influence global climate change via modification of the exchange of heat
between the ocean and the atmosphere. Sea ice concentration is one of the most important indicators in polar sea ice research.
To achieve high spatial resolution in estimations of multitype sea ice concentrations, this study introduced a polarization gradient
rate and a spectral gradient rate into a fully constrained least squares (FCLS) algorithm. Accuracy was validated using
Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate(ASPeCt) data, and the results were compared with NASA Team2(NT2) and Arctic
Radiation and Turbulence Interaction Study Sea Ice(ASI) algorithms. The root mean square error(RMSE) and bias of the improved
FCLS algorithm throughout the year were 13.8% and −0.7%, respectively. The accuracy of the improved algorithm
was found better for multiyear ice than first-year ice.

Key words: Antarctic, passive microwave data, sea ice concentration, FCLS