CSA: Most complete Antarctic map available for climate research

This is a mosaic of satellite images of Antarctica taken by RADARSAT-2. 

Credit: CSA, RADARSAT-2 Data.

The University of Waterloo has unveiled a new satellite image of Antarctica, and the imagery will help scientists all over the world gain new insight into the effects of climate change.

Thanks to a partnership between the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA), the prime contractor for the RADARSAT-2 program, and the Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN) at UWaterloo, the mosaic is free and fully accessible to the academic world and the public.

Using Synthetic Aperture Radar with multiple polarization modes aboard the RADARSAT-2 satellite, the CSA collected more than 3,150 images of the continent in the autumn of 2008, comprising a single pole-to-coast map covering all of Antarctica.

This is the first such map of the area since RADARSAT-1 created one in 1997.

"The mosaic provides an update on the ever-changing ice cover in this area that will be of great interest to climatologists, geologists, biologists and oceanographers," said Professor Ellsworth LeDrew, director of the CCIN and a professor in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo.

"When compared to the previous Antarctic RADARSAT-1 mosaic, we can map changes in the icescape with unprecedented accuracy and confidence. The earth's polar regions are considered a bellwether for the effects of climate change."

Professor LeDrew is at the forefront of a cultural shift in the way researchers discover, share and preserve their research data.

The CCIN links international researchers around the world with numerous government, university and private organizations to provide data and information management infrastructure for the Canadian cryospheric community.

This mosaic map of the Antarctic is the latest addition to the CCIN's Polar Data Catalogue. It is available on the Polar Data Catalogue website.

"The Polar Data Catalogue's mandate is to make such information freely available to scientists, students and the public to enhance our understanding and stewardship of the polar regions," said Professor LeDrew.

"We are proud to work with the Canadian Space Agency and MDA to bring this outstanding Canadian technology and science to the international community."

Next up for the partnership is a similar mosaic for Greenland, which will provide further crucial information about our shifting climate in the northern hemisphere.

There are also plans to continue creating mosaics of Antarctica every few years to provide more data for researchers.

ESA Sentinel-1A: Preparation for radar vision

This ‘interferogram’ shows Petermann Glacier grinding towards the sea along the northwestern coast of Greenland. 

Two Radarsat-2 TOPS images acquired 24 days apart were used to generate it. 

Radarsat-2 was programmed specially by MDA to work in an experimental imaging mode called Terrain Observation by Progressive Scans (TOPS) in azimuth to match the way ESA’s Sentinel-1 will image Earth. 

Credit: ESA/MDA

Sentinel-1A, Europe's first satellite for Copernicus, is almost ready for launch on 3 April. Meanwhile, ESA is showing how its advanced radar will map ice, monitor subsidence and much more.

Marking a new era in Earth observation focusing on operational applications, Sentinel-1A is set to deliver timely imagery for numerous Copernicus services.

Carrying an advanced radar, it will scan Earth's surface no matter what the weather and regardless of whether it is day or night.

In crisis situations, it will be used for rapid response to disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Its radar will routinely monitor shipping zones, map sea ice and provide information on winds and waves for marine traffic, track changes in the way land is being used, and monitor subsidence.

It will also track how glaciers move, as shown in the image above of Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland.

So that users are fully prepared for the images Sentinel-1A delivers, Canada's Radarsat-2 was recently programmed by MacDonald, Dettweiler & Associates to scan Earth's surface using the same novel 'interferometric' wide-swath mode technique as Sentinel-1.

Consequently, a suite of images was acquired over various sites.



Carrying an advanced radar, Sentinel-1A can image Earth’s surface no matter what the weather and regardless of whether it is day or night. 

This makes it an ideal mission for monitoring the polar regions, which are shrouded in darkness for months at a time. 

As well as providing information on changing ice cover and glacial flows, Sentinel-1 will provide imagery of sea-ice for maritime navigation in polar waters. 

Sentinel-1A will also be used to track changes in the way land is used and to monitor ground movement. 

Moreover, this new mission is designed specifically for fast response to aid emergencies and disasters such as flooding and earthquakes. 

Sentinel-1A, the first in the family of satellites for Europe’s environmental monitoring Copernicus programme, marks a new era in Earth observation, focusing on operational missions to support users for decades to come. 

Credit: ESA/ATG medialab

As the most realistic Sentinel-1A-like images to date, they show the performance and suitability of the new mission for classifying different types of sea ice, detecting ships and monitoring oil platforms.

They also included image pairs to show changes in glaciers such as Petermann, and a 'stack' of 11 images to map surface subsidence in Mexico City.

The image of Petermann Glacier was derived from two images taken 24 days apart. It shows some stationary and slowly moving features, as well as some large areas of much faster-moving ice.

The pattern's fringes are widely spaced in the stationary areas and closer together in the centre of the glacier where the ice is moving much faster.

The wealth of data available through ESA's Earth observation campaign data website is helping to pave the way for users to get the maximum out of the upcoming mission.

The Sentinel-1mission comprises two identical satellites for optimal global coverage and data delivery.

Sentinel-1B will join Sentinel-1A in orbit next year.