Refraction Correction for Radio Echo-Sounding of Ice Overlain by Firn

Abstract Radio-echo signals travel faster in firn than in ice, which affects the analysis of ice-mass thickness. If this effect is neglected, then the calculated thickness of an ice mass may be in error by an amount of the order of one-tenth of the firn thickness. An exact formulation is derived for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Glaciology
Main Author: Rasmussen, L. A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1986
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000015501
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000015501
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Summary:Abstract Radio-echo signals travel faster in firn than in ice, which affects the analysis of ice-mass thickness. If this effect is neglected, then the calculated thickness of an ice mass may be in error by an amount of the order of one-tenth of the firn thickness. An exact formulation is derived for the path of the signal through the firn and the ice. Explicit solutions are given for constant, linear, and quadratic profiles of the refractive index in the firn layer.