We developed a multichannel wideband synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that operates over a frequency range of 190-450 MHz for measurements over the ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland. The antenna-array, which consists of eight elements housed in a certified external structure for a BASLER aircraft, was used for measurements during the 2013-2014 Antarctic field season. We performed measurements with this system in conjunction with two ultra-wideband radars operating over a frequency range of 2-8 GHz and 12-18 GHz on Siple Coast ice streams in West Antarctica during December 2013 and January 2014. We sounded ice thicker than 2 km with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of more than 20 dB in an area with two-way ice loss of about 27 dB/km. The same system also simultaneously mapped near-surface internal layers with submeter resolution from the ice-surface to a depth of about 1100 for 1200 m thick ice. In this paper, we provide a detailed overview of the radar instrumentation and signal processing algorithms and present a few sample results. The radar will be operated over a frequency range of 150-550 MHz with a 24-element antenna-array for wide-ranging measurements over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, starting around August 2015.

A wideband multi-channel airborne sounding and imaging radar for cryospheric remote sensing applications has been recently developed by the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS). The radar is designed to measure ice thickness, image the ice-bed interface, and map internal layers in ice sheets and glaciers. This newly-developed radar uses the wide bandwidth for high-resolution imaging and cross-track array processing for suppression of surface clutter. The radar was integrated onto a BT-67 aircraft and completed its first field deployment in Antarctica during the 2013/2014 Austral Summer season. This paper focuses on the development and deployment of the radar. A few sample results from the field survey in Antarctica are also presented to demonstrate the high resolution features of the radar.

Significant progress has been made in the development of next-generation ice-sheet models to simulate the response of large ice sheets in a warming climate and to determine their contribution to sea level rise over the next century. Good progress has also been made in characterizing the bed topography of a few key outlet glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica. These new models and data have been used to generate sea level rise projections of between 26 and 98 cm by the end of this century. However, there is still a need to better understand both ice-stream dynamics near the grounding lines and ice-shelf-ocean interactions, as well as to incorporate this understanding into improved models to reduce the large uncertainly in sea level rise predictions. We developed an ultra-wideband radar that operates over a frequency range of 150-450 MHz for fine-resolution measurements over the ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland. This radar was developed specifically to obtain measurements over ice shelves and fast-flowing glaciers. The current antenna-array, which consists of eight elements, is housed in a certified antenna structure for a Basler aircraft. It will be soon expanded to 24 elements to cover a wider frequency range (150-600 MHz). During December 2013 and January 2014, we collected data over a few ice streams and glaciers in Antarctica. This paper will provide an overview of the radar, antenna array and results from the 2013-2014 deployment in Antarctica, as well as our plans for a larger array and wider bandwidth system.