Jennifer King
Sea ice fluxes through the Fram Strait: remote sensing detection, variability and climatic modulation
Supervisors: Professor Grant Bigg (University of Sheffield) & Richard Hall (K-Sat)
Research Summary
Now in her 3rd year, Jennifer’s PhD project has focused on tracking the movement of individual sea ice floes in the Fram Strait from satellite radar, making use of ENVISAT Wide Swath & Radarsat images. An algorithm originally developed by Tiago Silva & Grant Bigg for the purpose of tracking large tabular icebergs in the Antarctic has been adapted to accommodate the different shapes and backscattering characteristic of sea ice, and put to use in the Fram Strait. The Fram Strait was chosen as a study area because it is of key importance for the export of ice from the Arctic, and well known for the presence of strong surface currents. The study area is within the area of the East Greenland current, and also covers the fast ice/ drift ice boundary. The Ice Tracking from SAR Images (ITSARI) algorithm uses shape recognition to match identified ice objects between consecutive images. This has proved ideal for tracking ice movement in the summer months, the time of year when traditional cross-correlation methods are most unreliable.
This project is sponsored by Kongsberg Satellite Services (Tromso, Norway) and also benefits from an 'in-kind' grant from the European Space Agency allowing access to ERS and ENVISAT images.
Previous Research
MSc Glaciology, Aberystwyth University, 2007
MSc Research Project: The use of a rule based classification for change detection in a glacial landscape: using Landsat TM and ASTER imagery of the North Patagonian IcefieldBSc (Hons) Physical Geography, University of Reading, 2004
BSc Research Project: How does the chemical composition of Arctic precipitation influence the melt water composition of a ripening snowpack
Conference Presentations
Hall, J., Bigg, G., & Hall, R., (2010) Identification and Tracking of ice objects in the Fram Strait using the ITSARI algorithm. Proc. ‘ESA Living Planet Symposium’, Bergen, Norway 28 June – 2 July 2010 (ESA SP-686, December 2010)
Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society Annual Student Meeting (March 2008)
Jointly received the prize for best Masters presentationInternational Glaciology Society British Branch Meeting (September 2008)
Received the prize for best poster presentation
Peer Reviewed Publications
Hall, J. (2008) The identification of different ice facies on the North Patagonian Icefield (Chile) from ETM+ and ASTER images using a rule-based classification. Journal of Maps Student Edition, 11-22
UK Polar Network
Jennifer has served two rewarding years as secretary of the UK Polar Network, a voluntary network with the twin aims of promoting networking amongst, & career development for, early career researchers in all areas of Polar science; and presenting their science to a wider audience through education & outreach events. UKPN is part of the wider Association for Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). With other UKPN members Jennifer was involved in organizing a 3 day ‘Cryospheric Science’ career development workshop at Sheffield in November 2009, and is now part of the team planning a Remote Sensing Summer School to be held in Reading in July 2011.
Contact Details
Address: Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Winter Street, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
Tel: +44 (0)114 222 7914
Fax: +44 (0)114 222 7907
Email: J.A.Hall@Sheffield.ac.uk