The Governors of the University of Calgary

Published purpose

The Copernicus Expansion Missions Sea Ice Experiment (CEMSIE) project, led by a consortium of Canadian and European universities, with support from the European Space Agency (ESA), aims to enhance satellite monitoring of Arctic sea ice. This is to be achieved by simultaneously deploying multiple surface-based electromagnetic instruments in Dease Strait, near the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. These instruments mimic three soon-to-be-launched ESA Copernicus Sentinel Expansion mission satellites: CRISTAL, CIMR, and ROSE-L. CEMSIE's primary objectives include demonstrating how data integration from these three sensors can provide more comprehensive information than the sum of its parts. This integration aims to reduce uncertainties and enhance the accuracy of microwave satellite estimates of sea ice concentration, snow depth, and sea ice thickness.