Greenland

This RADARSAT-2 Standard Quad-Pol image shows the northern end of the Sermilik fjord on the east coast of Greenland. The image was acquired December 18, 2007 – four days after launch and is a composite of the three radar data channels (HH, VV, HV) displayed in a red-green-blue colour scheme. The scene is ~ 25km x 50km, with 25m nominal resolution.

The Fenrisgletscher glacier – a large, slow moving valley glacier that feeds into the Sermilik fjord - is visible in the upper right corner of the image. Glaciers in this area produce large volumes of icebergs that flow out to sea.

In the fjord, variations in colour represent different types of sea ice and leads (open water). The use of polarimetric data greatly improves ice edge detection and the identification of ice types as well as increasing ice topography and structural information. The information provided can be used for ship navigation, and land / sea ice studies (such as the position of glacier termini to support environmental monitoring).

This image was acquired early in the RADARSAT-2 commissioning phase.

RADARSAT-2 Data and Products © MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (2007) - All Rights Reserved.