Portable temperate ice depth sounder radar (TIDSoR)

Glaciers in several parts of the world are reported to be retreating and thinning rapidly over the last decade. Radar instruments can be used to provide information on the internal and basal conditions of large and small ice masses. Radars operating in the lower part of the HF spectrum are required for sounding temperate glaciers. Also, low-frequency sounders are useful for measuring thickness of fast-flowing glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica. This is due to the composition, attenuation, and back-scattering from large pockets of water present in temperate ice. We are developing a dual-frequency temperate-ice-depth sounder radar (TIDSoR) for determining ice thickness and basal conditions. The most significant features of this novel sensor are its portability as well as its low-power consumption. The system operates at 7.7 MHz and 14.0 MHz with 1 MHz bandwidth and 20 W of output peak power. The radar will be installed in a small aircraft such a DCH-6 (Twin Otter) or carried in a backpack for surface-based measurements. In the first case, the radar will be supported by the airplane power supply and in its backpack configuration by a compact 12 VDC power supply. TIDSoR is expected to be deployed during the summer 2008 for surface-based observations. In this paper, we discuss our design considerations and current progress towards the development of this radar.