An ice thickness/drifting velocity observation of sea ice by using an ice
thickness measurement sonar and a current meter moored into the sea and a
sea ice observation by a high-resolution airborne SAR are synchronously
performed, a correlation between a draft profile of sea ice passing over
the sonar and an SAR backscattering coefficient profile is calculated,
and an ice draft of desired sea ice is calculated from the relational
expression and an SAR backscattering coefficient. As the SAR
backscattering coefficient, a backscattering coefficient of L-band HV
polarization may be used. A backscattering coefficient of X-band VV
polarization is preferably used as the SAR backscattering coefficient to
detect thin ice having a thickness of not more than approximately 10 cm.