High‑Resolution Insights into Arctic Sea Ice Thickness Evolution and Extreme Sea Ice Events
High‑Resolution Insights into Arctic Sea Ice Thickness Evolution and Extreme Sea Ice Events
Navn på bevillingshaver
Andreas Stokholm
Titel
Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution
The European Space Agency
Beløb
DKK 1,904,650
År
2026
Bevillingstype
Internationalisation Fellowships
Hvad?
This project creates detailed Arctic sea ice thickness maps by combining multi sensor and satellite data using artificial intelligence. These new observations reveal fine‑scale changes in the ice from day to day and shed light on hidden processes that shape the ice cover, including the formation of large open‑water areas known as polynyas.
Hvorfor?
Sea ice thickness determines how much ice the Arctic holds and how quickly it can melt in a warming climate. Existing satellite products are too coarse to capture rapid changes or extreme events that strongly influence sea ice volume. High‑resolution observations are needed to understand how the Arctic is changing and to improve predictions of future climate conditions.
Hvordan?
The project uses AI to fuse radar images with satellite elevation measurements, producing far more detailed maps of sea ice thickness across the Arctic. By linking these observations, the method reveals how ice volume changes on short time scales and how extreme events develop, offering a clearer picture of fast‑moving climate‑driven processes.