Abstract
Abstract. The drift of sea ice is an important geophysical process with widespread implications for the ocean energy budget, ecosystems, and marine operations. Drifting sea ice can threaten navigation routes and present a hazard for ocean vessels and maritime installations. Here, we evaluate single-pass synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (InSAR) as a tool to assess ice drift for different uses. Initial validation shows that TanDEM-X phase-derived drift speed corresponds well with drift products from a ground-based radar at Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Joint analysis of TanDEM-X and Sentinel-1 data covering the Fram Strait demonstrates that InSAR can help quantify the opening/closing rate of leads. In contrast to standard SAR-based drift algorithms deriving averaged drift velocities, single-pass InSAR enables an instantaneous assessment with advantages in the context of ice management and transportation. By evaluating sea ice drift through the Vilkitsky Strait, Russia, we identified short-lived transient convergence patterns. We conclude that InSAR enables the identification of potentially important short-lived dynamic processes otherwise difficult to observe with possible implication for engineering and sea ice modeling.