Determination of Sub-Ice Topography in a Valley Glacier Environment Using Airborne Radar Sounding with Echo Discrimination Techniques

Details Determination of Sub-Ice Topography in a Valley Glacier Environment Using Airborne Radar Sounding with Echo Discrimination Techniques Determination of Sub-Ice Topography in a Valley Glacier Environment Using Airborne Radar Sounding with Echo Discrimination Techniques

May 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004agusm.p52a..05h&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2004, abstract #P52A-05

Computer Science

Sound

5462 Polar Regions, 5464 Remote Sensing, 5494 Instruments And Techniques, 9310 Antarctica

Scientific paper

The identification of subsurface radar echoes on Mars in areas where significant surface topography exists will require careful echo source discrimination to avoid misinterpretation. We have developed these techniques for airborne radar sounding data in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. This effort includes a radar data simulator that utilizes a lidar-generated digital elevation model (DEM) of nearby surface topography to predict the location and shape of surface echoes in the radar data. This is combined with the superposition of horizontally migrated radar echoes on optical imagery and a DEM in order to locate the sources of off-nadir surface reflections. Employing these techniques, we are able to both discriminate subsurface echoes and determine accurate subglacial topography in a mountainous area. The airborne radar sounding data were collected primarily in Taylor Valley and over Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Two different airborne radar systems were used, both with an 8 kW transmitter. The first was incoherent, log-detected and pulsed at 60 MHz with a 60 ns pulse duration. The second was coherent, dual channel and chirped from 52.5 - 67.5 MHz with a pulse duration of 1 microsecond. The latter data set has been processed with pulse compression and SAR processing. Surface-based radar sounding data were also collected on Taylor Glacier using a 4 kV (p-p) system centered at 7 MHz and towed behind a skidoo. A single, continuous reflector under the main trunk of Taylor Glacier and multiple reflectors beneath the toe of Taylor Glacier have been identified as subsurface reflectors in the airborne data. These represent subglacial topography and possible incipient thrust moraines, respectively. Surface-based radar is the least affected by nearby topography and confirms the thickness of the glacier. The determination of sub-ice topography for active valley glaciers is important for understanding remnant glacial topography, and hence, past glacial episodes on Mars. The echo discrimination techniques employed here are applicable to the identification of any subsurface reflectors.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Determination of Sub-Ice Topography in a Valley Glacier Environment Using Airborne Radar Sounding with Echo Discrimination Techniques does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Determination of Sub-Ice Topography in a Valley Glacier Environment Using Airborne Radar Sounding with Echo Discrimination Techniques, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Determination of Sub-Ice Topography in a Valley Glacier Environment Using Airborne Radar Sounding with Echo Discrimination Techniques will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1177956