Development of an Airborne MMW FM-CW Radar for Mapping River Ice

• Main Authors: Yankielum, Norbert E., Ferrick, Michael G., Weyrick, Patricia B.
• Other Authors: DARTMOUTH COLL HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1993
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Active & Passive Radar Detection & Equipment; *RADAR; *ICE FORMATION; *ICE; *RIVERS; SIGNAL PROCESSING; FREQUENCY; MEASUREMENT; THICKNESS; REAL TIME; AIRBORNE; CONTINUOUS WAVE RADAR; CONTINUOUS WAVES; MILLIMETER WAVES; HIGH RESOLUTION; BOREHOLES; HELICOPTERS; SURVEYS; DATA ACQUISITION; MAPPING; ACCUMULATION; ALTITUDE; LOW ALTITUDE; PE62784A; WU001; Ice; Ice Sheet; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA262655; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA262655

Analyses of a river's freezeup ice cover stability and its breakup rely on detailed knowledge of the cover's thickness and the variability of that thickness. A high-resolution, millimeter wave (26.5- to 40-GHz) Frequency Modulated-Continuous Wave radar with real-time data acquisition and digital signal processing and display capability was deployed from a low-flying (3-10 m) helicopter to continuously acquire, process and display data during an ice thickness profiling survey of a 24-km study reach. A nominal sheet ice thickness of 50 cm, occasional areas of new ice sheet as thin as 5 cm, open leads, and massive ice accumulations on the order of 5 m thick were encountered. Radar profiling data agreed with ground truth from borehole measurements of the sheet ice, and provided a more detailed view of the ice conditions than that obtained from a low altitude video survey. The radar system provided rapid, safe and accurate data acquisition, allowing detailed mapping of the ice conditions throughout the reach. Airborne, High resolution radar, Millimeter waves, River ice, FM-CW radar, Ice profiling, Radar remote sensing.