An algorithm to detect sea ice leads by using AMSR-E passive microwave imagery.

The article presents a study which offers an algorithm to identify leads that are wider than 3 kilometers (km) in the entire Arctic Ocean. It mentions that leads are the main sites of energy fluxes and brine releases which can be found at the air-ocean interface of sea-ice covered oceans. It notes that the said algorithm detects 50 percent of the lead area which was present in optical Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images.