Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites—R Series

A collaborative NOAA & NASA program

Data Products: Sea and Lake Ice Age

Example of the ice thickness (left) and ice age (right) products over the Great Lakes as generated by the GOES-R ice age and thickness algorithm using MODIS Aqua data on February 24, 2008.

Download product algorithm theoretical basis document (ATBD)

The ice thickness and age products will be produced for each pixel observed by the GOES-R ABI and covered with ice. There are no direct ABI channels related to the algorithm which actually relies on some other retrieved products from ABI and parameterization schemes such as cloud mask and ice surface temperature that would use some or all ABI channels for their retrievals. The ice thickness and age algorithm uses a one-dimensional thermodynamic ice model (OTIM) which is based on the surface energy balance at thermo-equilibrium and contains all components of the surface energy budget to estimate sea and lake ice thickness up to three meters. An estimate of the ice age is then based on the retrieval of ice thickness. The sea and lake ice age product will help climate forecasters monitor short and long term changes in sea and lake ice.