Title
The Sentinel-1 Mission: New Opportunities for Ice Sheet Observations
Abstract
The Sentinel satellite constellation series, developed by the European Space Agency, represents the dedicated space component of the European Copernicus program, committed to long-term operational services in a wide range of application domains. Here, we address the potential of the Sentinel-1 mission for mapping and monitoring the surface velocity of glaciers and ice sheets. We present an ice velocity map of Greenland, derived from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data acquired in winter 2015 by Sentinel-1A, the first satellite of the Copernicus program in orbit. The map is assembled from about 900 SAR scenes acquired in Interferometric Wide swath (IW) mode, applying the offset tracking technique. We discuss special features of IW mode data, describe the procedures for producing ice velocity maps, and assess the uncertainty of the ice motion product. We compare the Sentinel-1 ice motion product with velocity maps derived from high resolution SAR data of the TerraSAR-X mission and from PALSAR data. Beyond supporting operational services, the Sentinel-1 mission offers enhanced capabilities for comprehensive and long-term observation of key climate variables, such as the motion of ice masses.
Year
DOI
Venue
2015
10.3390/rs70709371
REMOTE SENSING
Keywords
Field
DocType
sar
Orbit,Satellite constellation,Satellite,Glacier,Synthetic aperture radar,Remote sensing,Ice sheet,Interferometry,Geology,Geodesy,Offset (computer science)
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
7
7
2072-4292
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
11
0.86
10
Authors
5
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Thomas Nagler15714.13
H. Rott221130.22
Markus Hetzenecker3131.60
jan wuite4122.27
Pierre Potin5171.57