The SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) images on this page are obtained from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency PALSAR-2 satellite. These images provide high resolution information about sea ice, and unlike MODIS images and visible-range satellite images, sea ice features are not obscured or hidden by the presence of clouds. Given the high resolution data and the fact that clear skies are not required for ice detection, SAR images are often used by industry and governmental agencies to detect ice conditions. These images are generally not publicly accessible. We will post updated imagery if and when it becomes available.

Bering Strait

16 May 2015
16 May 2015 - Ice conditions in the eastern Bering Strait. Note the well-defined ice edge towards the West, with the western part of Bering Strait mostly ice free. The region southeast of Nome has less dense ice cover.

30 March 2015
30 March 2015

Shishmaref

16 May 2015
16 May 2015 - This close-up shows evidence of surface flooding due to rain events; these rain events are discussed in Curtis Nayokpuk’s 18 May comment, as part of the 15 May outlook at: http://www.arcus.org/search-program/siwo/2015-05-15. Wet ice is evident in level ice regions. It appears a darker shade of grey than dry, unflooded ice or ice that is rough and better drained than level ice. The boundary between the flooded level ice (darker in the satellite image) to the South and the rougher ice (brighter in the satellite image) to the North is clearly visible. In all the images, note also the dark patches in the nearshore shore fast ice where runoff from the land has melted out the ice cover and created potentially hazardous conditions.

Wales

16 May 2015
16 May 2015 - This image shows the extent of land fast ice between Wales and Shishmaref with break-up of the shorefast ice evident northeast of Wales. Note the spur of shorefast ice that remains grounded north of Wales.

30 March 2015
30 March 2015

31 March 2015
31 March 2015

Support through JAXA ALOS-2 Research Agreement 1493 gratefully acknowledged.