While reading through the Arctic Sea Ice and Analysis page on NSIDC I came across this paragraph:
Conditions in context
Arctic sea ice loss slowed down in late July through early August; then over the past week, the rate of ice loss sped up. At present there is more ice than at the same time in 2007, which saw the record minimum September extent.
Data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer – Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) sensor, processed by the University of Bremen, show ice tracking near 2007 levels. The AMSR-E instrument can detect small but widespread areas of open water within the ice pack in the Beaufort and East Siberian seas, because of its resolution (6.25 kilometers or 3.88 miles). Normally, NSIDC uses data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F17 Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS). F17 provides a longer time series of data, but at a 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) resolution.
Does this mean that they are now using a satellite with a higher resolution and comparing the data with measurements taken from a satellite with a lower resolution. Surely that cannot be correct?
I have emailed the NSIDC asking the same but have not had a response yet.