Alaska Satellite Facility - Distributed Active Archive Center

RADARSAT-1 Antarctic Mapping Project (RAMP)

©CSA 1997; Mosaic ©Ohio State University, 1997

The RADARSAT-1 Antarctic Mapping Project (RAMP) was composed of two main missions, the first Antarctic Mapping Mission (AMM-1) and the Modified Antarctic Mapping Mission (MAMM). Both missions utilized RADARSAT-1, a satellite developed by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and launched by NASA from Vandenburg Air Force Base on November 4, 1995.

Derived data acquired 1997 and 2000 from two RADARSAT-1 satellite missions (AMM-1 and MAMM) was used to map features of Antarctica and measure ice sheet dynamics. Datasets are available as image tiles and mosaics, and velocity maps. Also available are ice velocity maps from mini-MAMM missions in 2004 and 2007.

©CSA 1997; Mosaic ©Ohio State University, 1997

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RAMP

RADARSAT-1 was equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which enabled the satellite to capture high-resolution Earth imagery day and night regardless of weather conditions. The satellite covered the Earth every 24 days which allowed interferometric analysis. Functioning at C-band (5.3 GHz frequency), RADARSAT-1 was able to direct its radar beam at different angles in the right-side direction. Additional maneuvering of the satellite itself resulted in its invaluable ability to look left, increasing the number of available target locations. These features made RADARSAT-1 a well-matched satellite for the Antarctic Mapping missions.

AMM-1 started on September 9, 1997 and was completed on October 20, 1997. Its goals were to acquire a complete map of Antarctica and better understand the relationships between the southernmost continent’s environmental elements. As Antarctica’s inhospitable environment had limited the success of previous mapping endeavors, this mission’s data and imagery would prove to be a vital baseline to contrast against the data of future missions.
Using the right- and left-looking abilities of RADARSAT-1, a mosaic map of Antarctica at 25 m resolution was created. The map displayed Antarctica’s geological features through variations in radar brightness and texture, including ice streams. Ice velocity vectors were compiled using AMM-1 data to measure ice sheet movement over ice streams.

MAMM began three years after AMM-1 ended, starting on September 3, 2000 and ending on November 17, 2000. It planned to remap Antarctica and measure ice velocity data using interferometric analysis and data from AMM-1. In the three years’ difference between the two main Antarctic Mapping Missions, ice sheet advance and retreat could be observed and better evaluated as episodic change or regional climate change.
The Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) processed AMM-1 and MAMM data into images, which The Ohio State University converted into maps and velocity fields using Vexcel Corporation software. Additional participants include the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) and other scientific advisors.

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Missions

Users can download RAMP data from the NASA-sponsored ASF DAAC.

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Data Discovery Tools

Data Discovery ToolLink
ASF Vertex Data SearchVertex
Python Search Moduleasf_search
ASF Search APIASF Search API
NASA Earthdata SearchEarthdata Search

1995-2000

1995
Application of Plane Waves for Accurate Measurement of Microwave Scattering from Geophysical Surfaces

1996
Geophysical Data Management System

RADARSAT: The Antarctic Mapping Project

Variations in Radar Backscatter Across the Great Ice Sheets

1998
Analysis of Glacier Flow Dynamics from Preliminary RADARSAT InSAR Data of the Antarctic Mapping Mission

InSAR Results from the RADARSAT Antarctic Mapping Mission Data: Estimation of Glacier Motion using a Simple Registration Procedure

The RADARSAT Antarctic Mapping Project

Snapshots of Antarctica from RADARSAT-1

Flow Variations of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from Comparison of Modern and Historical Satellite Data

Evidence for the Tectonic Segmentation of the Antarctic Peninsula from Integrated ERS-1 SAR Mosaic and Aeromagnetic Anomaly Data

1999
Glaciological Properties of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from RADARSAT-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery

Development of an Antarctic Digital Elevation Model by Integrating Cartographic and Remotely Sensed Data: A Geographic Information System Based Approach

RADARSAT Antarctic Mapping Project- Mosaic Construction

2000
Combining SAR and DISP Imager to Investigate the Structural and Glaciological Setting of the Transantarctic Mountains

2001-2005

2001

Ice Shelf Advance and Retreat Rates Along the Coast of Queen Maud Land, Antarctica

Detecting Outliers in Irregularly Distributed Spatial Data Sets by Locally Adaptive and Robust Statistical Analysis and GIS

2002

On Reconciling Ground-Based With Spaceborne Normalized Radar Cross Section Measurements

RADARSAT-1 Antarctic Mapping Project: Change-detection and Surface Velocity Campaign

2003

RAMP Overview Publication

Measurement of Glacier Geophysical Properties From InSAR Wrapped Phase

Observing the Antarctic Ice Sheet using the RADARSAT-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar

2004

RAMP Coastline

Automated Extraction of Coastline from Satellite Imagery by Integrating Canny Edge Detection and Locally Adaptive Thresholding Methods

A Complete High-Resolution Coastline of Antarctica Extracted from Orthorectified Radarsat SAR Imagery

Correction of Positional Errors and Geometric Distortions in Topographic Maps and DEMs using a Rigorous SAR Simulation Technique

Antarctic Ice Sheet Balance Velocities from Merged Point and Vector Data

2005

Evidence for Subglacial Water Transport in the West Antarctica Ice Sheet through Three-dimensional Satellite Radar Interferometry

Structure of Southeastern Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves and Ice Tongues from Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery

Structure of Eastern Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves and Ice Tongues from Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery

Delineation of Dry and Melt Snow Zones in Antarctica using Microwave Remote Sensing Data

Synergistic Fusion of Phase Unwrapping and Speckle Tracking Methods for Deriving Surface Velocity from Interferometric SAR Data

Wideband Measurements of Ice Sheet Attenuation and Basal Scattering Stearns

Decadal-scale Variations in Ice Flow Along Whillans Ice Stream and its Tributaries, West Antarctica

2006-2008

2006
Automated Delineation of Dry and Melt Snow Zones in Antarctica Using Active and Passive Microwave Observations From Space

Accumulation Variability and Mass Budgets of the Lambert Glacier–Amery Ice Shelf System, East Antarctica, at High Elevations

2007
Synergistic Fusion of Interferometric and Speckle-Tracking Methods for Deriving Surface Velocity From Interferometric SAR Data

Calibrating and Mosaicking Surface Velocity Measurements from Interferometric SAR Data with a Simultaneous Least-squares Adjustment Approach

Shear Measurements Across the Northern Margin of Whillans Ice Stream

Mass Budgets of the Lambert, Mellor and Fisher Glaciers and Basal Fluxes Beneath Their Flowbands on Amery Ice Shelf

2008
RAMP Report

Dissertations, Theses, and Presentations

“Satellite Mapping and Automated Feature Extraction: Geographic Information System-Based Change Detection of the Antarctic Coast” by Kee-Tae Kim

“Application of Time Series Satellite Data to Earth Science Problems” by Kee-Tae Kim

“Generation and Refinement of a Continental Scale Digital Elevation Model by Integrating Cartographic and Remotely Sensed Data: A GIS-Based Approach” by Hongxing Liu

“The Dynamic State of Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica” by Leigh Asher Stearns

“Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Three East Antarctic Outlet Glaciers and their Floating Ice Tongues” by Jan Wuite

“Estimating Balance Velocities Using GIS-based Techniques” by Xiaolan Wu

“Surface Velocities of the East Antarctic Ice Streams from Radarsat-1 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar Data” by Zhiyuan Zhao

Presentations

Antarctica: Its Ice Land and Ocean as Viewed by Radarsat-1

Users can download RAMP data from the NASA-sponsored ASF DAAC.

The link below will open in a new page with a browser interface to select the area of interest.

Get RAMP Data

Data Discovery Tools

Data Discovery ToolLink
ASF Vertex Data SearchVertex
Python Search Moduleasf_search
ASF Search APIASF Search API
NASA Earthdata SearchEarthdata Search