Simulations of Passive Radar Sounding Performance for Monitoring Firn Aquifer Water Levels

Firn aquifers play an important role in the mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet, but changes in their water storage are challenging to measure. Here, we explore the feasibility of passive radar sounding to monitor changes in the firn aquifer water table level throughout the year. Our simulations consider the time-varying environmental challenges for passively monitoring fluctuations in firn aquifer water table height. Our results suggest that passive sounding could be a novel observational tool for quasi-continuous monitoring of firn aquifer properties in geographic regions of interest.