Icebergs in the Amundsen Sea (Antarctica) determined from ENVISAT ASAR WSM data using object-based image analysis approach, link to ESRI GDB files

An object-based method for automatic iceberg detection from Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) images has been developed and applied in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica. The automatic identification is based on brightness and spatial parameters of the ASAR images at five scale levels, and was verified with manual classification in four areas chosen to represent varying environmental conditions. The presented algorithm works comparatively well with images of the ocean in freezing temperatures and strong wind conditions, common in the Amundsen Sea. The detection rate was 96.2% which corresponds to 93.2% of the icebergs area, for all seasons. The algorithm generated 3.8% errors in the form of 'misses' and 7.0% of 'false alarms', mainly caused by the presence of ice floes. […]