This dataset contains ice phenological data of 56 lakes in the Northern Hemisphere from 1979 to 2019. Ice phenology was extracted from the 3.125 km 37 GHz H-polarized evening brightness temperature data in the Calibration Enhanced Resolution Brightness Temperature (CETB) dataset, which came from Scanning Multi Channel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), and Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Detector (SSMIS) data. From 1979 to 2019, the average duration of complete freezing and ice cover formation in lakes each year was 153 days and 161 days, respectively. The lake ice phenology dataset provides valuable information for understanding the changes in seasonal ice covered lakes over the past 40 years.
The data comes from Scanning Multi Channel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), Special Sensor Microwave Imaging (SSM/I), and Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Detector (SSMIS) data.
Based on the difference in brightness and temperature between the lake ice surface and the open water area, a threshold algorithm based on the moving t-test method is used to determine the ice surface state of the lake at a pixel point 6.25 kilometers away from the lake shore, and then extract the phenological date of each lake's ice surface. For overlapping lake ice phenological results extracted from multiple satellites, priority should be given to using the satellite results with the highest utilization rate.
The phenological results of lake ice are highly consistent with existing products extracted from data from the Earth Observation System Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) from 2002 to 2015, with an average absolute error of 2 to 4 days for ice dates. The generated lake ice record also shows significant consistency with the historical record of the largest annual ice sheet in the Laurentian Great Lakes in North America.
CSTR:11738.11.NCDC.PANGAEA.DB6810.2025
10.1594/PANGAEA.946231
