Platform Altitude and Velocity Constraints on the Detectability of Subsurface Interfaces in Radar Sounding Data

Orbital and autonomous radar sounding platforms promise to enable widespread mapping of subglacial topography and englacial layers with greater uniformity of data and observing conditions than the current patchwork of distinct radar systems and surveys. They also have the potential to collect time-series observations of evolving subsurface conditions including ice-shelf melting, ocean access across grounding zones, 3D ice flow, and dynamic ice-sheet hydrology. Here, we investigate the impact of platform altitude and velocity on the detectability of subsurface interfaces beneath ice, sand, and permafrost in the presence of both noise and range sidelobes from surface echoes. Specifically, we evaluate the potential performance of radar sounding from orbital satellites, stratospheric UAVs, and low-altitude UAVs, relative to one another and to existing piloted platforms.