Exploring the Potential of SWOT Altimetry for Retrieving Lake Ice Thickness

Lakes play a critical role as climate change proxies and cover a significant portion of the northern latitude landscape. Lake ice phenology offers valuable insight into changing climate patterns, yet in situ observations of lake ice have declined substantially in recent decades (Li et al., 2023). This observational gap highlights the growing importance of remote sensing as a tool for understanding and monitoring lake ice (Tang et al., 2023). Northern and remote communities particularly rely on lake ice quality, quantity, and thickness for transportation on ice roads, subsistence activities, and recreational use (Knopp et al., 2022). There has been limited research exploring the use of satellite altimetry for the retrieval and estimation of lake ice thickness (LIT), however its efficacy and utility has been highlighted in recent studies (Beckers et al., 2017; Mayers et al., 2018; Li et al., 2023; Mangilli et al., 2024). Ku-band SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) altimetry presents an opportunity to retrieve ice properties and directly measure ice thickness. This study assesses the retrieval of LIT from SAR altimeters aboard legacy sensors Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6 over the ice seasons from 2019 to 2024 on Kluane Lake, Yukon and compares it to the estimated LIT acquired from the SWOT altimeter analysis. LIT can be determined using Ku-band altimetry through the analysis of double-peaked waveforms characteristic to lake ice formed by the interaction of the radar signal with the ice interfaces (Beckers et al., 2017). The utilization of SWOT altimetry has the potential to advance the understanding of lake ice processes and provide valuable datasets for climate and hydrological models as well as overall resource management. This presentation discusses the potential applications of SWOT altimetry in lake ice thickness retrieval, emphasizing its capacity to fill critical data gaps and contribute to our understanding of lakes as dynamic systems in a changing climate.

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Tang, F., Chen, P., An, Z., Xiong, M., Chen, H., & Qiu, L. (2023). A Dual-Threshold Algorithm for Ice-Covered Lake Water Level Retrieval Using Sentinel-3 SAR Altimetry Waveforms. Sensors, 23(24), Article 24.