Step frequency radar for the measurement of sea ice thickness

• Main Authors: Okamoto,Ken'ichi, Mineno,Hitoshi, Uratsuka,Seiho, Inomata,Hideyuki, Nishio,Fumihiko
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Radio Research Laboratory, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications/Kimitsu Satellite Control Center, Telecommunication Satellite Corporation of Japan/Radio Research Laboratory, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications/Radio Research Laboratory, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications/National Institute of Polar Research 1986
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research; Polar Research; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=2076; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00002076/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2076&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

The preliminary experiments have been carried out to test the fundamental functions of the step frequency radar. This radar aims at measuring the thickness of the Antarctic sea ice, which transmit 32 different frequencies in a stepwise fashion between 300 and 796MHz. The radar has the following details; a) the maximum transmitting power : 400mW, b) the range resolution : about 0.3m in the air, c) the maximum observable distance without an ambiguity; about 9.1m in the air, and d) the transmitting and receiving antennas : two cavitybacked spiral antennas whose sense of circular polarization is mutually opposite. The experiments in the anechoic chamber have proved that this radar system could have successfully detected the iron pipe buried in the dry sand and the aluminum plate placed under the sand box. This result suggests that with this radar system an airborne survey of the sea ice thickness will become possible.