Table 9.1 Current and future satellites and sensors for key Arctic climate variables
Sensor types
Laser and radar
altimeters
Synthetic aperture
radar (SAR)
Scatterometers
Visible/infrared
imagers
Atmospheric
sounders
Passive
microwave
Gravity
Satellites and
sensors
ICESat, ERS-2,
Envisat,
CryoSat-2,
Sentinel-3
ERS-2 SAR, Envisat
ASAR, Radarsat12, ALOSPALSAR,
TERRASAR-X,
COSMOSKYMED,
RISAT, Sentinel-1
ERS2-Wind Scat,
QuikScat,
MetOp-ASCAT,
OCEANSAT-2,
HY-2A Scat
SPOT 1–5, Landsat,
ASTER, Sentinel2, AVHRR,
MODIS, VIIRS,
HY-1
HIRS,
AMSU,
IASI,
SSMIS,
MIS
SSMI, AMSR-E,
WindSat,
SMOS, HY2A
GRACE,
GOCE
Atmosphere
Winds, cloud
properties
(amount, height,
phase, thickness)
Temperature
and
humidity
profiles
Surface winds
(ice-free)
Ice sheets
Elevation/
thickness
change
Motion, extent
Extent, snow/ice
facies
Extent
Melt/freeze onset Mass
change
Glaciers and ice
caps
Surface
topography
and change
Velocity, topography,
facies, lakes
Facies
Extent, velocity, snow
line
Mass
change
Sea ice
Freeboard/
thickness
Motion, extent, floe
size distribution
Extent, melt/freeze
onset, motion
Extent, floe size
distribution, melt
ponds
Extent,
concentration,
snow
thickness
Geoid
Snow
Accumulation
Accumulation
Accumulation
Extent
Extent, thickness Mass
loading
130
J.R. Key et al.