Global Ice Sheet Mapping Orbiter Concept: Airborne Experiments

We describe tests of a spaceborne, radar-system concept envisioned to measure the spatial reflectivity and the 3-dimensional surface and basal topography of terrestrial ice sheets and to determine the physical properties of the glacier bed. We conducted experiments during May 2006 over northwestern Greenland using a 150 MHz radar operated from a Twin Otter aircraft. We conducted more extensive experiments in September 2007 over northern and central Greenland when we operated 150 and 450 MHz radars installed on the NASA P-3 aircraft. Here we compare 150 and 450 MHz data and show an example of interferometrically derived basal topography.