Computer-based identification and tracking of Antarctic icebergs in SAR images

Tools

Silva, Tiago A.M. and Bigg, Grant R. (2005) Computer-based identification and tracking of Antarctic icebergs in SAR images. Remote Sensing of Environment, 94 (3). pp. 287-297. ISSN 0034-4257

Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)

Abstract

Icebergs play an important role in climate through the transfer of fresh water and heat between ice sheets and the oceans. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images offer a robust way of observing icebergs in the often dark and cloud-covered polar areas. A computer-based technique is proposed to identify icebergs at higher resolution than in the past, allowing the shape of small to medium icebergs to be retained and used for tracking between images acquired at different times. The identification consists of (i) automatic segmentation, followed by (ii) classification of these objects as icebergs or nonicebergs. The classification stage requires user intervention as the icebergs are not always a separable class from other objects, most notably sea ice. The icebergs are then matched between images using their size and shape similarities, and their position tracked. The system performance was assessed by applying the technique to three wintertime ERS-1 PRI images, around Kapp Norvegia (10°W), on the Eastern Weddell Sea coast. The results show both the identification and the tracking to be effective.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: iceberg flux,iceberg identification,iceberg tracking,image segmentation,sar,soil science,geology,computers in earth sciences,sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1111
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas
Related URLs:
Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 16 Feb 2026 14:31
Last Modified: 23 Feb 2026 01:07
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/101951
DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2004.10.002

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item