A comparison of satellite-altimetry and ice-thickness measurements of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Abstract

The launch of ERS-l provides coverage, by satellite altimetry, of a large part of the Ross Ice Shelf ineluding areas of input from Byrd Glacier and Ice Streams D and E. Five 35 d repeats of fast-delivery data, comprising approximately 100000 height estimates, have been used to produce a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the Ross Icc Shelf north of 81.5° S. Careful filtering of the altimeter data, which removed about 30% of the measurements, ensured that only valid values were used. The data were grldded to produce a DEM with a cell size of 10km. Repeatability of the data was assessed from an analysis of crossing points of ascending and descending tracks. The rms cross-over difference for the ice shelf was 0.94 m. Using the five repeat tracks gave a random error of 0.30 m for an averaged height measurement. Regionally correlated errors in the orbit and geoid add a systematic long wavelength bias of approximately 2m to the final elevation estimate. Two of the latest geoid models, OSU91-A and JGMI, were compared with the available in situ data and hYdrostatic models based on ice and water densities.The altimetry was compared with ice-thickness data from Ross Icc Shelf Geophysical and Glaciological Survey (RIGGS) stations and Scott Polar Research Institute radio-echo-sounding surveys undertaken in the 1970s. Differences between the DEM and heights calculated from ice thicknesses and a standard density -depth equation lie, in general, within the combined measurement errors. There are, however, several areas where this is not the case. Prominent north-south stripes of different ice thickness shown on a RIGGS map apparently do not exist. Low elevations are associated with high-density ice draining from East Antarctic outlet glaciers. The grounding line of Icc Streams D and E and an ice plain behind it are clearly demarcated by the break in surface slope. Grounded ice north of Steershead is also observed