Snow stratigraphy observations from Operation IceBridge surveys in Alaska using S and C band airborne ultra-wideband FMCW (frequency-modulated continuous wave) radar
peer reviewed Abstract. During the concluding phase of the NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB), we successfully completed two airborne measurement campaigns (in 2018 and 2021, respectively) using a compact S and C band radar installed on a Single Otter aircraft and collected data over Alaskan mountains,...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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Copernicus GmbH
2023
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Online Access: | https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/298820 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/298820/1/tc-17-175-2023.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-175-2023 |
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ftorbi:oai:orbi.ulg.ac.be:2268/298820 2024-04-21T08:02:41+00:00 Snow stratigraphy observations from Operation IceBridge surveys in Alaska using S and C band airborne ultra-wideband FMCW (frequency-modulated continuous wave) radar Li, Jilu Rodriguez-Morales, Fernando Fettweis, Xavier Ibikunle, Oluwanisola Leuschen, Carl Paden, John Gomez-Garcia, Daniel Arnold, Emily SPHERES - ULiège 2023-01-16 https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/298820 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/298820/1/tc-17-175-2023.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-175-2023 en eng Copernicus GmbH https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/17/175/2023/tc-17-175-2023.pdf urn:issn:1994-0416 urn:issn:1994-0424 https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/298820 info:hdl:2268/298820 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/298820/1/tc-17-175-2023.pdf doi:10.5194/tc-17-175-2023 scopus-id:2-s2.0-85147274083 open access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess The Cryosphere, 17 (1), 175-193 (2023-01-16) Earth-Surface Processes Water Science and Technology Physical chemical mathematical & earth Sciences Earth sciences & physical geography Physique chimie mathématiques & sciences de la terre Sciences de la terre & géographie physique journal article http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 info:eu-repo/semantics/article peer reviewed 2023 ftorbi https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-175-2023 2024-03-27T14:58:15Z peer reviewed Abstract. During the concluding phase of the NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB), we successfully completed two airborne measurement campaigns (in 2018 and 2021, respectively) using a compact S and C band radar installed on a Single Otter aircraft and collected data over Alaskan mountains, ice fields, and glaciers. This paper reports seasonal snow depths derived from radar data. We found large variations in seasonal radar-inferred depths with multi-modal distributions assuming a constant relative permittivity for snow equal to 1.89. About 34 % of the snow depths observed in 2018 were between 3.2 and 4.2 m, and close to 30 % of the snow depths observed in 2021 were between 2.5 and 3.5 m. We observed snow strata in ice facies, combined percolation and wet-snow facies, and dry-snow facies from radar data and identified the transition areas from wet-snow facies to ice facies for multiple glaciers based on the snow strata and radar backscattering characteristics. Our analysis focuses on the measured strata of multiple years at the caldera of Mount Wrangell (K'elt'aeni) to estimate the local snow accumulation rate. We developed a method for using our radar readings of multi-year strata to constrain the uncertain parameters of interpretation models with the assumption that most of the snow layers detected by the radar at the caldera are annual accumulation layers. At a 2004 ice core and 2005 temperature sensor tower site, the locally estimated average snow accumulation rate is ∼2.89 m w.e. a−1 between the years 2003 and 2021. Our estimate of the snow accumulation rate between 2005 and 2006 is 2.82 m w.e. a−1, which matches closely to the 2.75 m w.e. a−1 inferred from independent ground-truth measurements made the same year. The snow accumulation rate between the years 2003 and 2021 also showed a linear increasing trend of 0.011 m w.e. a−2. This trend is corroborated by comparisons with the surface mass balance (SMB) derived for the same period from the regional atmospheric climate model MAR (Modèle ... Article in Journal/Newspaper glaciers ice core NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB) The Cryosphere Alaska University of Liège: ORBi (Open Repository and Bibliography) The Cryosphere 17 1 175 193 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Liège: ORBi (Open Repository and Bibliography) |
op_collection_id |
ftorbi |
language |
English |
topic |
Earth-Surface Processes Water Science and Technology Physical chemical mathematical & earth Sciences Earth sciences & physical geography Physique chimie mathématiques & sciences de la terre Sciences de la terre & géographie physique |
spellingShingle |
Earth-Surface Processes Water Science and Technology Physical chemical mathematical & earth Sciences Earth sciences & physical geography Physique chimie mathématiques & sciences de la terre Sciences de la terre & géographie physique Li, Jilu Rodriguez-Morales, Fernando Fettweis, Xavier Ibikunle, Oluwanisola Leuschen, Carl Paden, John Gomez-Garcia, Daniel Arnold, Emily Snow stratigraphy observations from Operation IceBridge surveys in Alaska using S and C band airborne ultra-wideband FMCW (frequency-modulated continuous wave) radar |
topic_facet |
Earth-Surface Processes Water Science and Technology Physical chemical mathematical & earth Sciences Earth sciences & physical geography Physique chimie mathématiques & sciences de la terre Sciences de la terre & géographie physique |
description |
peer reviewed Abstract. During the concluding phase of the NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB), we successfully completed two airborne measurement campaigns (in 2018 and 2021, respectively) using a compact S and C band radar installed on a Single Otter aircraft and collected data over Alaskan mountains, ice fields, and glaciers. This paper reports seasonal snow depths derived from radar data. We found large variations in seasonal radar-inferred depths with multi-modal distributions assuming a constant relative permittivity for snow equal to 1.89. About 34 % of the snow depths observed in 2018 were between 3.2 and 4.2 m, and close to 30 % of the snow depths observed in 2021 were between 2.5 and 3.5 m. We observed snow strata in ice facies, combined percolation and wet-snow facies, and dry-snow facies from radar data and identified the transition areas from wet-snow facies to ice facies for multiple glaciers based on the snow strata and radar backscattering characteristics. Our analysis focuses on the measured strata of multiple years at the caldera of Mount Wrangell (K'elt'aeni) to estimate the local snow accumulation rate. We developed a method for using our radar readings of multi-year strata to constrain the uncertain parameters of interpretation models with the assumption that most of the snow layers detected by the radar at the caldera are annual accumulation layers. At a 2004 ice core and 2005 temperature sensor tower site, the locally estimated average snow accumulation rate is ∼2.89 m w.e. a−1 between the years 2003 and 2021. Our estimate of the snow accumulation rate between 2005 and 2006 is 2.82 m w.e. a−1, which matches closely to the 2.75 m w.e. a−1 inferred from independent ground-truth measurements made the same year. The snow accumulation rate between the years 2003 and 2021 also showed a linear increasing trend of 0.011 m w.e. a−2. This trend is corroborated by comparisons with the surface mass balance (SMB) derived for the same period from the regional atmospheric climate model MAR (Modèle ... |
author2 |
SPHERES - ULiège |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Li, Jilu Rodriguez-Morales, Fernando Fettweis, Xavier Ibikunle, Oluwanisola Leuschen, Carl Paden, John Gomez-Garcia, Daniel Arnold, Emily |
author_facet |
Li, Jilu Rodriguez-Morales, Fernando Fettweis, Xavier Ibikunle, Oluwanisola Leuschen, Carl Paden, John Gomez-Garcia, Daniel Arnold, Emily |
author_sort |
Li, Jilu |
title |
Snow stratigraphy observations from Operation IceBridge surveys in Alaska using S and C band airborne ultra-wideband FMCW (frequency-modulated continuous wave) radar |
title_short |
Snow stratigraphy observations from Operation IceBridge surveys in Alaska using S and C band airborne ultra-wideband FMCW (frequency-modulated continuous wave) radar |
title_full |
Snow stratigraphy observations from Operation IceBridge surveys in Alaska using S and C band airborne ultra-wideband FMCW (frequency-modulated continuous wave) radar |
title_fullStr |
Snow stratigraphy observations from Operation IceBridge surveys in Alaska using S and C band airborne ultra-wideband FMCW (frequency-modulated continuous wave) radar |
title_full_unstemmed |
Snow stratigraphy observations from Operation IceBridge surveys in Alaska using S and C band airborne ultra-wideband FMCW (frequency-modulated continuous wave) radar |
title_sort |
snow stratigraphy observations from operation icebridge surveys in alaska using s and c band airborne ultra-wideband fmcw (frequency-modulated continuous wave) radar |
publisher |
Copernicus GmbH |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/298820 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/298820/1/tc-17-175-2023.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-175-2023 |
genre |
glaciers ice core NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB) The Cryosphere Alaska |
genre_facet |
glaciers ice core NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB) The Cryosphere Alaska |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, 17 (1), 175-193 (2023-01-16) |
op_relation |
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/17/175/2023/tc-17-175-2023.pdf urn:issn:1994-0416 urn:issn:1994-0424 https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/298820 info:hdl:2268/298820 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/298820/1/tc-17-175-2023.pdf doi:10.5194/tc-17-175-2023 scopus-id:2-s2.0-85147274083 |
op_rights |
open access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-175-2023 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
17 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
175 |
op_container_end_page |
193 |
_version_ |
1796942815898370048 |