Cool radar to measure thinning Arctic ice28 February 2014

A series of custom-designed radar instruments deployed in Antarctica will give researchers their first ever day-by-day measurements of the health of one of its ice shelves.

The devices, developed with funding by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council), have been placed on the ice shelf by University College London (UCL) and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists to record changes in millimetre detail.

"Although we've previously taken snapshots of the ice with radar, this is the first time year-round monitoring has been possible," comments Dr Keith Nicholls, of the British Antarctic Survey.

"Where changing ocean currents interact with the underside of the ice shelf, the rate of melting can change season by season, month by month, even over days or hours. So the advantages of this new system cannot be overstated."

The purpose-built radars were developed in the labs of Paul Brennan, professor of microwave electronics at University College London.

"The millimetre accuracy of the system is made possible by a phase-sensitive processing technique that we developed for the project," explains prof Brennan.

"We have also redesigned the electronics to minimise noise, so that the units are highly sensitive at low power."

Each radar unit runs off a single 6V battery that can last a whole year and be topped up by a small wind generator, and solar cells during summer.

When running, the radar draws 5W. The units also have antenna arrays – multiple input multiple output (MIMO – that allow the researchers to construct 3D images of the ice.

Brian Tinham

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