Satellite hydrographic monitoring and assessment of environmental trends along the russian arctic coast

For measuring frontal velocities of tidewater glaciers from single SAR interferograms we devised an original approach called transferential (from Latin transferre: trans - across, change + ferre to carry). This approach is based on the interferometric analysis of the motion of fast sea ice away from the shore as a result of glacier flow. The effect of the fast ice pushed away from the shore by the outlet glacier is manifested in the form of so-called "outflows", which can be observed in winter interferograms on the sea-ice surface at the fronts of all active tidewater glaciers oriented along the SAR-range direction. Thus, frontal velocities of nearly 70 glacier snouts in Franz Josef Land, Severnaya Zemlya and north Novaya Zemlya oriented along the SAR range direction were determined for the first time in the history of their exploration. The frontal velocities of several tidewater glaciers were measured several times using different interferograms and the results were very consistent. The original gradient approach to modelling ice rheology from SAR interferometric data (GINSAR) is based on the calculation of interferometric phase gradients, their conversion to interferential gradient pictures and ice motion / deformation estimation by analysing differences between co-registered and scaled multi-temporal gradient pictures. This approach does not involve complex processing artifices such as interferometric phase unwrapping and can be applied to the areal motion estimation. In our case, interferometric phase gradients are calculated by subtracting the original interferential picture from a translated version of the same picture. The high metric quality, detail and complementary thematic contents of new value-added GINSAR products such as slope maps, topograms, fluxograms and velograms, showed the expedience of this technique and its applicability to solving various tasks of monitoring arctic coastal areas.

The improved RSG software pack release 4.0, the SPECTRUM program, non-commercial release and the ARCTUR administrative software and databank release 1.1 represent new products generated within the AMETHYST frameworks for digital image processing, archiving and distributing spatial and numerical data.

The regional inventory (ARCHIVE) of ice shores in the WeRA represents the past, present and future state of ice shores in the WeRA thus providing both qualitative and quantitative information on actual and potential changes of glacier-ice coasts at the regional scale. Actual coastal changes in the FJL, SZ and NZ archipelagos are estimated for the 50-year period from the beginning of 1950-s until the beginning of 2000-s. Potential changes of ice shores in the WeRA during the next decade 2001-2011 are predicted from actual changes under the assumption of steady average rate of coastal alterations.

The digital map series includes: - Set of three satellite reference image maps of Franz Josef Land, Severnaya Zemlya and Novaya Zemlya printed at scales ranging from 1:1700 000 to 1:1800 000. - Three basic image maps showing coastal changes in the FJL, SZ and NZ archipelagoes in the past 50 years at the same scales. - 38 cartographic sketches for the inventory of ice shores ARCHIVE. - Predictive map substitutes showing coastal hydrographic tendencies in the WeRA at smaller scales. - Web-versions of all cartographic products for the purpose of demonstration and dissemination.

The general concept of coastal hydrographic monitoring in the WeRA is a reference document explaining the background, polar idea, main tasks, basic principles, subject and objects of monitoring, methodology, the logical sequence and contents of the principal stages as well as principal technical parameters, standards, expected results and the analysis of perspectives of satellite monitoring of coastal dynamics in the Eurasian Arctic.

The RECORD database integrates information about the past, present and future state of ice shores in the WeRA and demonstrates different data used, techniques applied and the products obtained in the AMETHYST frameworks. It might serve as an information source for various practical and scientific applications related with natural exploration and industrial activities in the extreme North. The RECORD database is recorded on the CD-ROM attached. The CD version of database includes only some, but the most typical results obtained in the AMETHYST project. Presently, the CD-version of the RECORD database contains the following information: - The RECORD database description. - Set of INSAR products for Franz Josef Land (8 files), Severnaya Zemlya (8) and Novaya Zemlya (8). - 3 RADARSAT ScanSAR imagery of the FJL, SZ, and NZ test sites. - 3 reference satellite image maps of the FJL, SZ, and NZ test sites. - 3 satellite image maps showing coastal changes in FJL, SZ, and NZ in the past 50 years. - 3 CORONA image mosaics of FJL, SZ, and NZ. - 3 RESOURCE-O images of FJL, SZ, and NZ. - 52 scanned topographic maps at 1:200 000 scale of FJL, SZ, and NZ. - 3 sets of SHP files covering FJL, SZ, and NZ with the description (shapes.rtf) and tables of attributes. - ERS image mosaic of north Severnaya Zemlya. - Several optical DEMs of key sites in the SZ test site. - Set of documents on the hydrographic regime in the WeRA. - Image gallery including pictures from the field campaign 2001. - Regional inventory of ice shores in the WeRA (ARCHIVE) with the description.

The technical note describes the present state, actual and potential changes of the hydrographic regime' main components for the Barents and Kara seas including: - Spatial-temporal and physical variations of the sea ice cover, both seasonal and long-term. - Eustatic changes of the sea level and inter-annual variations of tidal effects. - Current state and changes of arctic coastlines including ice shores. - Inter-annual variability in the distribution of icebergs. - Climatic changes. Main interrelations between the components are considered, causes of changes are studied and the long-term forecasts of coastal hydrographic changes in the WeRA are provided.

Basic data / model set includes spaceborne geo-coded images of the WeRA (FJL, SZ and NZ archipelagos), both optical and radar, obtained from CORONA KH-4, LANDSAT, ASTER, Resource-F1, ERS-1/2-SAR and RADARSAT-ScanSAR systems and corresponding stereophotogrammetric (4) and INSAR (41) models. Besides, over 200 historical images obtained during the first aerial survey in the WeRA from the airship "Earl Zeppelin" in July 1931 have been collected. Digital mosaics of topographic maps at 1:200 000 scale are also available.

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