HYDROLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND PHENOLOGY OF LAKES OF THE FILDES PENINSULA – ANTARCTICA
Hydrological development and phenology of lakes of the Fildes Peninsula - Antarctica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5016/geociencias.v39i2.14453Abstract
This paper evaluates the freezing and thawing dynamics of the Fildes Peninsula lakes using TerraSAR-X (TSX) images from February to April 2011, and the correlation of the open water surface area with temperature, precipitation and wind. The open water surface area was obtained from the TSX images classification using the MAXVER classifier for 12 images from 2011. The correlation of atmospheric air temperature with the area, determined by the Pearson and Spearman correlation method, demonstrates a significant correlation pattern in 7 of the 15 lakes, while precipitation is an important variable for the formation of open water in 11 of the 15 lakes. All lakes facing the Drake Passage show significant correlation with wind direction. It is possible that the wind acts causing waves on the liquid surface, which in turn cause the surface ice to break. As for wind direction, this variable may be linked to changes in the duration of the ablation period for the Fildes peninsula. In general, the TSX images allowed an unprecedented temporal detailing for the study area, making it possible to map the lakes from February to April 2011.