Mapping of Ice Sheet Deep Layers and Fast Outlet Glaciers with Multi-Channel-High-Sensitivity Radar

• Main Author: Li, Jilu
• Other Authors: Gogineni, Sivaprasad, Leuschen, Carl, Rodriguez-Morales, Fernando, Seguin, Sarah, Braaten, David
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Kansas 2009
• Subjects: Electronics and electrical engineering; Remote sensing; Airborne radar; Fast outlet glaciers; Ice clutter reduction; Ice sheet mapping; Sar processing; Sidelobe suppression; Ice Sheet; Jakobshavn
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1808/5666; http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10690

This dissertation discusses the waveform design, the development of SAR and clutter reduction algorithms for MCRDS radars that are developed at CReSIS to map the ice-sheet bed, deep internal layers and fast-flowing outlet glaciers. It is verified with survey data that the sidelobe level of the designed tapered linear chirp waveform is lower than -60dB for reliable detection of deep ice layers close to the bed. The SAR processing is implemented in f-k domain with motion compensation. Very weak echoes from the deepest parts of Jakobshavn channel are detected for the first time using large synthetic aperture length. A beam-spaced clutter-reduction algorithm is developed to reduce the distributed across-track ice clutter encountered in sounding fast outlet glaciers by estimating the clutter power as a function of depth. On average this method is able to reduce ice clutter by 10dB over Hanning weighting with the MCRDS radar's multi-channel data.