Ten years of polar ice velocity mapping using Copernicus Sentinel-1

The Copernicus Sentinel-1 (S1) mission, launched in 2014, has provided a step change in the capabilities of polar satellite earth observation, addressing the challenge of limited Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data availability over ice sheets that existed previously. Since its launch, S1 has provided regular acquisitions every 6 to 12 days in Greenland, Antarctica, and other polar regions. This has enabled the set-up of an operational monitoring system for generating time series of key glaciological variables, such as ice velocity and ice discharge, with high spatial and temporal resolution. Leveraging the extensive S1 SAR archive, we have developed algorithms to generate detailed maps and dense time series of glacier and ice sheet velocity now spanning more than 10 years. Here we describe the processing pipeline and highlight some of the key results. The velocity maps can be and have been used for a wide range of applications in various studies. Our results demonstrate the S1 mission's exceptional ability for comprehensive monitoring of flow velocities on glaciers and ice sheets, thereby providing crucial data for ice dynamics and climate modelling. • Sentinel-1 provides ice velocity at unprecedented temporal and spatial coverage. • We developed enhanced processing lines to generate optimized ice velocity products. • The processing includes combinations of offset tracking and SAR interferometry. • Examples from a 10-year portfolio of Sentinel-1 ice velocity products are shown. • These range from single glaciers to full ice sheet extent at various timescales.