GFZ German research centre for geo sciences

Ground-based Sea Ice Campaign in Disko Bay

GPS-SIDS

Disko Bay is situated west of the Greenland coast. Near by the port of Godhavn (69.2717° N; 53.5435° W) a GPS Reflectometry setup was installed. On a cliff about 670 m above sea level, observations over the bay were recorded for several months (in winter season 2008/09). Regular changes of the ocean surface due to ocean tides and sea-ice coverage could be examined with reflection data. This study has been initiated by ESA connected to further measurements of dry snow properties at Dome-C, East Antarctica.

Within ESA- project GPS-SIDS (Sea Ice Dry Snow) the GOLD-RTR receiver from IEEC/CSIC Barcelona and the GORS receiver from GFZ have been deployed on the coast of Disko island, Western Greenland. Data was recorded in winter season 2008/2009. GFZ was in particular responsible for ionospheric TEC (Total Electron Content) measurements. Over the ocean in the south of Godhavn an area of 40 km² was observed. GNSS-R antenna were installed on a tower of Danish Telekom, in a height of ca. 700 m above mean sea-level. Results show ocean tides and sea-ice coverage in the observed area.

References:

Semmling, A. M. et al. „Detection of Arctic Ocean tides using interferometric GNSS-R signals“ Geophys. Res. Letters, 2011, 38, L04103.

Semmling, A. M.; Schmidt, T.; Wickert, J.; Schön, S.; Fabra, F.; Cardellach, E. & Rius, A.: On the Retrieval of the Specular Reflection in GNSS Carrier Observations for Ocean Altimetry. Radio Science, 2012, 47, RS6007, doi:10.1029/2012RS005007.

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