Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-662
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-662
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
12 Feb 2026
| 12 Feb 2026
Status: this preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Brief Communication: Retrieval-Driven Spread in Antarctic Winter Freeboards (CryoSat-2, 2013–2018)
Abstract. The accuracy of remotely-sensed Antarctic sea-ice thickness is limited by assumptions of snow properties and processing choices that are often informed from the Arctic. To quantify retrieval-driven spread, we compare winter radar freeboard and snow-corrected sea-ice freeboard from four CryoSat-2–era products for 2013–2018. All products reproduce the large-scale spatial structure, yet each shows systematic offsets relative to CCI that persist across multiple spatial scales. Both the Western Weddell and Ross Sea sectors display interannual variability, while correlation, bias and RMSE exhibit sector- and variable dependent performance relevant to thickness.
How to cite. Liu, X., Corney, S. P., Tilling, R. L., and Heil, P.: Brief Communication: Retrieval-Driven Spread in Antarctic Winter Freeboards (CryoSat-2, 2013–2018), EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-662, 2026.
Competing interests: At least one of the (co-)authors is a member of the editorial board of The Cryosphere.
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Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, TAS, Australia
Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, TAS, Australia
Stuart Paul Corney
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, TAS, Australia
Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, TAS, Australia
Rachel Louise Tilling
Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Petra Heil
Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, TAS, Australia
Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, TAS, Australia
Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Davos, Switzerland
Short summary
Antarctic sea-ice thickness from satellites depends on how snow is treated. We compared four widely used CryoSat-2 radar products for winters 2013–2018 on the same map grid. All show similar large-scale patterns, but each gives systematically higher or lower values, with the biggest differences in the snowier western Weddell Sea. Year-to-year changes are similar across products, yet these offsets can shift thickness estimates, so users should account for product choice and snow assumptions.
Antarctic sea-ice thickness from satellites depends on how snow is treated. We compared four...