Continuous sea ice thickness estimation using a joint MODIS and AMSR-E guided variational model

Estimates of sea ice thickness are important for shipping and weather forecasting applications. Sea ice thickness can be estimated using data from the thermal channels on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). However, using this data for studies of surface conditions is significantly hampered by cloud cover. This is particularly problematic for studies of the marginal ice zone, where atmospheric conditions often lead to persistent cloudy conditions. In this study a new method is proposed in which data from a passive microwave sensor is used to guide the estimation of surface temperature in cloud-covered regions. The impact of the method is verified by checking sea ice thickness values calculated using the guided surface temperature against values from operational sea ice charts.