Radioglaciology

Radioglaciology is the study of glaciers, ice sheets, ice caps and icy moons using ice penetrating radar. It employs a geophysical method similar to ground-penetrating radar and typically operates at frequencies in the MF, HF, VHF and UHF portions of the radio spectrum.[1][2][3][4] This technique is also commonly referred to as "Ice Penetrating Radar (IPR)" or "Radio Echo Sounding (RES)".

Glaciers are particularly well suited to investigation by radar because the conductivity, imaginary part of the permittivity, and the dielectric absorption of ice are small at radio frequencies resulting in low loss tangent, skin depth, and attenuation values. This allows echoes from the base of the ice sheet to be detected through ice thicknesses greater than 4 km.[5][6] The subsurface observation of ice masses using radio waves has been an integral and evolving geophysical technique in glaciology for over half a century.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Its most widespread uses have been the measurement of ice thickness, subglacial topography, and ice sheet stratigraphy.[15][8][5] It has also been used to observe the subglacial and conditions of ice sheets and glaciers, including hydrology, thermal state, accumulation, flow history, ice fabric, and bed geology.[1] In planetary science, ice penetrating radar has also been used to explore the subsurface of the Polar Ice Caps on Mars and comets.[16][17][18] Missions are planned to explore the icy moons of Jupiter.[19][20]

  1. ^ a b Schroeder, Dustin M.; Bingham, Robert G.; Blankenship, Donald D.; Christianson, Knut; Eisen, Olaf; Flowers, Gwenn E.; Karlsson, Nanna B.; Koutnik, Michelle R.; Paden, John D.; Siegert, Martin J. (April 2020). "Five decades of radioglaciology". Annals of Glaciology. 61 (81): 1–13. Bibcode:2020AnGla..61....1S. doi:10.1017/aog.2020.11. ISSN 0260-3055.
  2. ^ Kulessa, B.; Booth, A. D.; Hobbs, A.; Hubbard, A. L. (2008-12-18). "Automated monitoring of subglacial hydrological processes with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) at high temporal resolution: scope and potential pitfalls". Geophysical Research Letters. 35 (24): L24502. Bibcode:2008GeoRL..3524502K. doi:10.1029/2008GL035855. hdl:2160/7032. ISSN 0094-8276.
  3. ^ Bogorodsky, VV; Bentley, CR; Gudmandsen, PE (1985). Radioglaciology. D. Reidel Publishing.
  4. ^ Pellikka, Petri; Rees, W. Gareth, eds. (2009-12-16). Remote Sensing of Glaciers: Techniques for Topographic, Spatial and Thematic Mapping of Glaciers (0 ed.). CRC Press. doi:10.1201/b10155. ISBN 978-0-429-20642-9. S2CID 129205832.
  5. ^ a b Bamber, J. L.; Griggs, J. A.; Hurkmans, R. T. W. L.; Dowdeswell, J. A.; Gogineni, S. P.; Howat, I.; Mouginot, J.; Paden, J.; Palmer, S.; Rignot, E.; Steinhage, D. (2013-03-22). "A new bed elevation dataset for Greenland". The Cryosphere. 7 (2): 499–510. Bibcode:2013TCry....7..499B. doi:10.5194/tc-7-499-2013. hdl:1808/18762. ISSN 1994-0424.
  6. ^ Fretwell, P.; Pritchard, H. D.; Vaughan, D. G.; Bamber, J. L.; Barrand, N. E.; et al. (28 February 2013). "Bedmap2: improved ice bed, surface and thickness datasets for Antarctica" (PDF). The Cryosphere. 7 (1): 390. Bibcode:2013TCry....7..375F. doi:10.5194/tc-7-375-2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  7. ^ Allen, Christopher (September 26, 2008). "A Brief History Of Radio – Echo Sounding Of Ice".
  8. ^ a b Dowdeswell, J A; Evans, S (2004-10-01). "Investigations of the form and flow of ice sheets and glaciers using radio-echo sounding". Reports on Progress in Physics. 67 (10): 1821–1861. Bibcode:2004RPPh...67.1821D. doi:10.1088/0034-4885/67/10/R03. ISSN 0034-4885. S2CID 250845954.
  9. ^ Drewry, DJ (1983). Antarctica: Glaciological and Geophysical Folio, Vol. 2. University of Cambridge, Scott Polar Research Institute Cambridge.
  10. ^ Gudmandsen, P. (December 1969). "Airborne Radio Echo Sounding of the Greenland Ice Sheet". The Geographical Journal. 135 (4): 548–551. Bibcode:1969GeogJ.135..548G. doi:10.2307/1795099. JSTOR 1795099.
  11. ^ Robin, G. de Q. (1975). "Radio-Echo Sounding: Glaciological Interpretations and Applications". Journal of Glaciology. 15 (73): 49–64. doi:10.3189/S0022143000034262. ISSN 0022-1430.
  12. ^ Steenson, BO (1951). Radar Methods for the Exploration of Glaciers (PhD). California Institute of Technology.
  13. ^ Stern, W (1930). Principles, methods and results of electrodynamic thickness measurement of glacier ice. Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde 18, 24.
  14. ^ Turchetti, Simone; Dean, Katrina; Naylor, Simon; Siegert, Martin (September 2008). "Accidents and opportunities: a history of the radio echo-sounding of Antarctica, 1958–79". The British Journal for the History of Science. 41 (3): 417–444. doi:10.1017/S0007087408000903. hdl:1842/2975. ISSN 0007-0874. S2CID 55339188.
  15. ^ Bingham, R. G.; Siegert, M. J. (2007-03-01). "Radio-Echo Sounding Over Polar Ice Masses". Journal of Environmental & Engineering Geophysics. 12 (1): 47–62. Bibcode:2007JEEG...12...47B. doi:10.2113/JEEG12.1.47. hdl:2164/11013. ISSN 1083-1363.
  16. ^ Picardi, G. (2005-12-23). "Radar Soundings of the Subsurface of Mars". Science. 310 (5756): 1925–1928. Bibcode:2005Sci...310.1925P. doi:10.1126/science.1122165. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 16319122.
  17. ^ Kofman, W.; Herique, A.; Barbin, Y.; Barriot, J.-P.; Ciarletti, V.; Clifford, S.; Edenhofer, P.; Elachi, C.; Eyraud, C.; Goutail, J.-P.; Heggy, E. (2015-07-31). "Properties of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko interior revealed by CONSERT radar". Science. 349 (6247): aab0639. Bibcode:2015Sci...349b0639K. doi:10.1126/science.aab0639. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 26228153.
  18. ^ Seu, Roberto; Phillips, Roger J.; Biccari, Daniela; Orosei, Roberto; Masdea, Arturo; Picardi, Giovanni; Safaeinili, Ali; Campbell, Bruce A.; Plaut, Jeffrey J.; Marinangeli, Lucia; Smrekar, Suzanne E. (2007-05-18). "SHARAD sounding radar on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter". Journal of Geophysical Research. 112 (E5): E05S05. Bibcode:2007JGRE..112.5S05S. doi:10.1029/2006JE002745. ISSN 0148-0227.
  19. ^ Blankenship, DD (2018). "Reasons for Europa". 42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly. 42. and 5 others.
  20. ^ Bruzzone, L; Alberti, G; Catallo, C; Ferro, A; Kofman, W; Orosei, R (May 2011). "Subsurface Radar Sounding of the Jovian Moon Ganymede". Proceedings of the IEEE. 99 (5): 837–857. doi:10.1109/JPROC.2011.2108990. ISSN 0018-9219. S2CID 12738030.