Please see attached PDF file.

The manuscript “Seismic attenuation in Antarctic firn” submitted by Picotti et al. presents a relevant study addressing the attenuation of seismic P- and S-waves in Antarctic firn. In particular, the authors develop a model based on novel combination of the Biot theory with the concept of fluidized snow filling the pore space. The results shown in the manuscript demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach and its importance for investigations of Antarctic subsurface structures and properties using seismic methods. Accordingly, the study is particularly relevant for the readership of this journal, and thus should be considered for publication after a thorough revision of the manuscript.

Main points for improvement:

• In the current version, the objective is indirectly obvious as from the current literature only sparse information regarding seismic wave velocity and attenuation in firn is available. The introduction should clearly state the objective of this study.
• Throughout the manuscript the authors use rather qualitative formulations to describe their results (e.g., “very low/high”). Considering the strong mathematical and physical background of this study such formulations should be avoided by providing a more quantitative interpretation of results or presentation of findings/values reported in the existing literature.
• The authors should be more critical about the uncertainty associated with their results especially with respect to the seismic/mechanical properties of the first (shallowest) layer.
• In the current version, the manuscript does not provide a detailed discussion of the obtained results as reflected by the manuscript structure, which does not include a Discussion section yet solely a section presenting the results.
•  The conclusion is a mere summary of the main points of the manuscript, yet it does not interpret the main findings in a broader sense and does not relate them to the objectives stated in the Introduction.

Further (more detailed) comments and suggested (technical) corrections can be found in the annotated manuscript file attached here.