Simulating 0.4–2.5 GHz Brightness Temperatures of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Ice shelves are important parts of the cryosphere that influence ice sheet dynamics and mass loss. The internal temperatures of ice shelves are currently known only from a few borehole sites or from glaciological models. Microwave radiometry in the 0.4–2.5 GHz range is capable of receiving thermal emissions from deep within an ice shelf and thereby providing information on internal temperatures. This letter reports modeling studies of the brightness temperature of the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) from 0.4 to 2.5 GHz that provide insight into the potential of microwave radiometers for measuring ice shelf internal properties.