Sub-meter remote sensing of polar ice: Unexpected science from an unexpected source
Paul Morin, Polar Geospatial Center, University of Minnesota
Monday, May 5, 3:00-4:20pm Nobel 201, Gustavus Adolphus College
Recently the US federally funded polar science community had gained access to 5 polar orbiting, electro-optical sub-meter resolution satellites. This has allowed the polar regions to be imaged and examined at a rate and resolution never before possible. We are now able to image the outlet glaciers of Greenland and cracks in the Antarctic ice shelves on a daily basis. We have imaged almost all of the Earth’s ice in stereo allowing for the future creation of annual time dependent 2 meter posting elevation models with a vertical error of less than 6 meters without ground control. The ice community is beginning to grasp the new suite of science goals that are now possible to address with these resources. We are now in a position where we are required to develop expertise in a new series of problems including automated photogrammetry, change detection and image delivery techniques.
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