Articles | Volume 10, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-811-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-811-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Apr 2016
Research article |
| 15 Apr 2016
Constraining variable density of ice shelves using wide-angle radar measurements
Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Joel Brown
Aesir Consulting LLC, Missoula, MT, USA
Kenichi Matsuoka
Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway
Emmanuel Witrant
Université Grenoble Alpes/CNRS, Grenoble Image Parole Signal Automatique, 38041 Grenoble, France
Morgane Philippe
Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Bryn Hubbard
Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK
Frank Pattyn
Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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Cited
14 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Massive subsurface ice formed by refreezing of ice-shelf melt ponds B. Hubbard et al. 10.1038/ncomms11897
- Widespread increase in dynamic imbalance in the Getz region of Antarctica from 1994 to 2018 H. Selley et al. 10.1038/s41467-021-21321-1
- Wave erosion, frontal bending, and calving at Ross Ice Shelf N. Sartore et al. 10.5194/tc-19-249-2025
- Detecting high spatial variability of ice shelf basal mass balance, Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf, Antarctica S. Berger et al. 10.5194/tc-11-2675-2017
- Channelized Melting Drives Thinning Under a Rapidly Melting Antarctic Ice Shelf N. Gourmelen et al. 10.1002/2017GL074929
- Atmospheric and Oceanographic Signatures in the Ice Shelf Channel Morphology of Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, Inferred From Radar Data R. Drews et al. 10.1029/2020JF005587
- Basal Channel Evolution on the Getz Ice Shelf, West Antarctica A. Chartrand & I. Howat 10.1029/2019JF005293
- A comparison of contemporaneous airborne altimetry and ice-thickness measurements of Antarctic ice shelves A. Chartrand & I. Howat 10.1017/jog.2023.49
- Ice‐flow reorganization in West Antarctica 2.5 kyr ago dated using radar‐derived englacial flow velocities J. Kingslake et al. 10.1002/2016GL070278
- Firn on ice sheets C. Amory et al. 10.1038/s43017-023-00507-9
- Inversion for the density–depth profile of Dome A, East Antarctica, using frequency-modulated continuous wave radar W. Yang et al. 10.1017/jog.2021.70
- Post-Processing Synchronized Bistatic Radar for Long Offset Glacier Sounding N. Bienert et al. 10.1109/TGRS.2022.3147172
- Temporally stable surface mass balance asymmetry across an ice rise derived from radar internal reflection horizons through inverse modeling D. CALLENS et al. 10.1017/jog.2016.41
- Bistatic Radar Tomography of Shear Margins: Simulated Temperature and Basal Material Inversions N. Bienert et al. 10.1109/TGRS.2022.3213047
14 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Massive subsurface ice formed by refreezing of ice-shelf melt ponds B. Hubbard et al. 10.1038/ncomms11897
- Widespread increase in dynamic imbalance in the Getz region of Antarctica from 1994 to 2018 H. Selley et al. 10.1038/s41467-021-21321-1
- Wave erosion, frontal bending, and calving at Ross Ice Shelf N. Sartore et al. 10.5194/tc-19-249-2025
- Detecting high spatial variability of ice shelf basal mass balance, Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf, Antarctica S. Berger et al. 10.5194/tc-11-2675-2017
- Channelized Melting Drives Thinning Under a Rapidly Melting Antarctic Ice Shelf N. Gourmelen et al. 10.1002/2017GL074929
- Atmospheric and Oceanographic Signatures in the Ice Shelf Channel Morphology of Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, Inferred From Radar Data R. Drews et al. 10.1029/2020JF005587
- Basal Channel Evolution on the Getz Ice Shelf, West Antarctica A. Chartrand & I. Howat 10.1029/2019JF005293
- A comparison of contemporaneous airborne altimetry and ice-thickness measurements of Antarctic ice shelves A. Chartrand & I. Howat 10.1017/jog.2023.49
- Ice‐flow reorganization in West Antarctica 2.5 kyr ago dated using radar‐derived englacial flow velocities J. Kingslake et al. 10.1002/2016GL070278
- Firn on ice sheets C. Amory et al. 10.1038/s43017-023-00507-9
- Inversion for the density–depth profile of Dome A, East Antarctica, using frequency-modulated continuous wave radar W. Yang et al. 10.1017/jog.2021.70
- Post-Processing Synchronized Bistatic Radar for Long Offset Glacier Sounding N. Bienert et al. 10.1109/TGRS.2022.3147172
- Temporally stable surface mass balance asymmetry across an ice rise derived from radar internal reflection horizons through inverse modeling D. CALLENS et al. 10.1017/jog.2016.41
- Bistatic Radar Tomography of Shear Margins: Simulated Temperature and Basal Material Inversions N. Bienert et al. 10.1109/TGRS.2022.3213047
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Latest update: 22 Feb 2025
Short summary
The thickness of ice shelves is typically inferred using hydrostatic equilibrium which requires knowledge of the firn density. Here, we infer density from wide-angle radar using a novel algorithm including traveltime inversion and ray tracing. We find that firn is denser inside a 2 km wide ice-shelf channel which is confirmed by optical televiewing of two boreholes. Such horizontal density variations must be accounted for when using the hydrostatic ice thickness for determining basal melt rate.
The thickness of ice shelves is typically inferred using hydrostatic equilibrium which requires...
