Articles | Volume 20, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2485-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2485-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Review article
| Highlight paper
| 
27 Apr 2026
Review article | Highlight paper |
| 27 Apr 2026
Review article: 30 years of airborne radar surveys on the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets by the Alfred Wegener Institute
Steven Franke
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Daniel Steinhage
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Veit Helm
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Tobias Binder
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
now at: Atlas Elektronik GmbH, Hamburg, Germany
Uwe Nixdorf
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Heinrich Miller
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Angelika Humbert
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Daniela Jansen
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Graeme Eagles
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Hannes Eisermann
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Wilfried Jokat
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Antonia Ruppel
Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Hanover, Germany
Reinhard Drews
Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Alexandra Zuhr
Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Amelie Driemel
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Andreas Walter
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Peter Konopatzky
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Robin Heß
formerly at: Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Antonie Haas
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Roland Koppe
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Pascal H. Andreas
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
deceased, January 2026
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Data sets
Collection of datasets from AWI's radio-echo sounding systems on ice sheets and glaciers [dataset bibliography] O. Eisen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.972094
Editorial statement
This review of airborne radar datasets describes a critical source of information used for many impactful studies of changing ice sheets in both polar regions.
This review of airborne radar datasets describes a critical source of information used for many...
Short summary
This review synthesizes 30 years of Alfred Wegener Institute’s (AWI) airborne radar research in Antarctica and Greenland, detailing six radar systems and their applications in studying ice dynamics, basal properties, and subglacial landscapes. Moreover, it introduces the public release of AWI's airborne radar datasets via the Radar Data over Polar Ice Sheets Viewer and PANGAEA, ensuring findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable access for future polar research.
This review synthesizes 30 years of Alfred Wegener Institute’s (AWI) airborne radar research in...