908
December 2016
PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
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PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING
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J
ournal
S
taff
Publisher TBA
Editor Alper Yilmaz
Technical Editor Michael S. Renslow
Assistant Editor Jie Shan
Assistant Director — Publications Rae Kelley
Electronic Publications Manager/Graphic Artist Matthew Austin
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
is the official journal
of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. It is
devoted to the exchange of ideas and information about the applications of
photogrammetry, remote sensing, and geographic information systems. The
technical activities of the Society are conducted through the following Technical
Divisions: Geographic Information Systems, Photogrammetric Applications,
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PE&RS
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In August 2016, tourists on a luxury cruise departed Seward Alaska and steered
toward the waterways of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The excursion is one
example of the growing human presence in an increasingly ice-free Northwest
Passage—the famed high-latitude sea route that connects the northern Atlantic
and Pacific oceans. In mid-August 2016, the southern route through the Passage
was nearly ice-free.
For most of the year, the Northwest Passage is frozen and impassible. But during
the summer months, the ice melts and breaks up to varying degrees. The
(VIIRS) on the
satellite captured the
top image of the Northwest Passage on August 9, 2016. A path of open water can
be traced along most of the distance from the Amundsen Gulf to Baffin Bay.
“It was a warm winter and spring,” said NASA sea ice scientist Walt Meier.
That means that the seasonal ice—ice that grew since the end of last summer, and
the type found throughout most of the Passage—is thinner than normal. Thinner
ice can melt more easily, break up, and move out of the channels.
A scattering of broken ice is visible just east of Victoria Island. “It looks pretty
thin and disintegrating,” Meier said. “I think an ice-strengthened ship could get
through without too much trouble.”
The open water this year flows along the southern route, or “Amundsen route.”
It’s not unusual for the southern route to open up to some degree, as it is more
protected than the northern route and receives less sea ice directly from the Arctic
Ocean.
At some point in almost every summer since 2007, conditions along the south-
ern passage have been fairly open. There have been exceptions; the second image
shows the Northwest Passage on August 9, 2013, as observed by the
(MODIS) on the
satellite.
was relatively extensive. Turn on the image comparison tool to see the dif-
ference.
What’s left of the ice in 2016 is opening up fast. Meier expects that the North-
west Passage will open up completely in the next couple of weeks. Moreover,
a
appears to be approaching the archipelago. It could push
the ice around and further open up still-blocked channels. Or, it could have the
opposite effect and push in ice from the north.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz,
using VIIRS data
from the
Suomi NPP is the re-
sult of a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration, and the Department of Defense. Caption by Kathryn Hansen.
The full image can be reviewed on
.
