The image above is produced by a 10 kW X-band marine radar mounted atop the 4-story bank building in downtown Barrow, Alaska, pointed north.
Sea ice can be detected at ranges of up to about 10km (6 miles). Radar signals are reflected by rough ice, which appears as bright areas in these images. Sea ice ridges appear as lines of bright reflections. Buildings, fences and cars on land also return strong signals.
Images are archived every 5 minutes to monitor processes that shape the landfast ice and last only a few hours. The 1-day animation below shows recent activity. Sometimes, drifting sea ice (pack ice) can be seen moving past the coast while the landfast ice remains stationary close to shore. The 3-day animation below is from the radar record of the last three days.
