Workshop on Passive Microwave Sea Ice Products – the Backbone of Long Term Ice Monitoring

The World Climate Research Program (WCRP) Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Project Office sponsored a Satellite-derived Sea Ice Products Community Workshop at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 15-16 March, 2011. Participants discussed ways to improve the accuracy and reliability of products and address user needs. The group plans to share common products (for example, landmasks) and collaborate on a peer-reviewed journal article. Attendees included developers from NASA, NSIDC, NOAA, the University of Illinois, the University of Nebraska, JAXA, Environment Canada, and EUMETSAT as well as user groups from the NOAA SST group, Canadian and U.S. operational ice centers, and Canadian sea ice model development. NOAA@NSIDC Liaison Florence Fetterer participated with an eye toward improving the Sea Ice Index which relies on passive microwave satellite data.