CryoSat detects leads in sea ice

Satellite radar altimeters make use of the fact that the echoes received are sensitive to the type of surface. For example, echoes from leads generate mirror-like signals while more diffuse echoes result from ice floes. This image, which is an overlay of CryoSat data on top of imagery acquired by Envisat's Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar on 9 November 2010, clearly shows that echoes received by CryoSat correspond to leads separating the floes of ice.