Global Ice Sheet Mapping Orbiter Concept: Airborne Experi- ments

We describe tests of a spaceborne, radar-system concept envisioned to measure the spatial reflectivity and the 3dimensional 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.