Effects of layered media with random permittivities and roughness on icesheet emissions from 0.5–2.0 GHz

Recent L-band radiometry from the SMOS and Aquarius satellite missions has sparked interest in studying low-frequency microwave-emission from the polar ice sheets [1, 2]. Low frequency microwaves have less extinction and extremely long penetration depth sin glacier ice (several hundreds to one thousand meters), and thus can provide sensitivity to the subsurface temperature profile. The Ultra-Wide Band Software Defined Radiometer (UWBRAD) operating from 0.5 to 2.0 GHz is a new instrument to retrieve subsurface temperature profiles from a wide bandwidth radiation spectrum [2-4]. The physical basis for the measurement is to retrieve the shallower subsurface temperature at high frequency and the deeper subsurface temperature at low frequency.