Snow-accumulation studies in Antarctica with ground-penetrating radar using 50, 100 and 800 MHz antenna frequencies

Abstract

Snow radar profiles were measured in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, in the vicinity of the Finnish research station Aboa during austral summer 1999/ 2000. The aim was to study the annual layering in the upper 50 m of the snowpack and to compare the results obtained by three radar antenna frequencies (50, 100 and 800 MHz). Intercomparison of the radar profiles measured by the three frequencies shows that some individual internal layers are visible with different antennas. Sparse accumulation-rate data from stake measurements and snow pits are compared with layer depths. The comparison reveals a great deal of scatter due to the large interannual variability in accumulation patterns. Using the radar layers as isochrones together with a model of depth^density^radarwave velocity allows the individual accumulation data to be integrated, and a better estimate of accumulation patterns is obtained. Using the radar layering seems to be a much better method of estimating accumulation rate in this region than using a short series of stake measurements, even in the absence of deep ice cores to directly date the radar layering.

Constraining the recent mass balance of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulation

“…Ground-based radar imaging of both near-surface (Sinisalo et al, 2003;Rotschky et al, 2004;Eisen et al, 2005;Anschutz et al, 2007Anschutz et al, , 2008Frezzotti et al, 2007;Urbini et al, 2008) and deep (Nereson et al, 2000;Siegert and Payne, 2004;Waddington et al, 2007;Huybrechts et al, 2009;MacGregor et al, 2009) internal horizons has provided the basis for calculating recent and historical spatiotemporal snow accumulation rates over Antarctica. Because radar-derived accumulation measurements capture the spatial variability better than widely spaced point measurements, they provide a more accurate representation of the spatial mean, and thus are more appropriate for mass balance studies (Richardson et al, 1997).…”

Significant Spatial Variability in Radar‐Derived West Antarctic Accumulation Linked to Surface Winds and Topography

“…IRHs within the snow and firn are interpreted as isochrones (i.e., representative of a single time or event); therefore, the mass between horizons (cumulative mass) can be used to calculate accumulation rates (Eisen et al, 2005;MacGregor et al, 2009;Medley et al, 2013Medley et al, , 2014Medley et al, , 2015Sinisalo et al, 2003). In this study, we calculate accumulation rates from snow radar data using two isochrones: the surface and a single IRH.…”

Regional characteristics of sea ice thickness in Canadian shelf and Arctic Archipelago measured by Ground Penetrating Radar

“…Ground penetrating radar (GPR), however, has often been used in previous studies in cold environments to investigate the properties of permafrost (Pilon et al, 1992) and glaciers, specially to measure changes in glacial mass balance both spatially and temporally (Winther et al, 1998;Pälli et al, 2002;Harper and Bradford, 2003;Sinisalo et al, 2003). Advantages of the GPR application in the Polar Regions are better portability and accuracy, which is very important in rigorous fieldworks.…”