Estimation of ICE basal reflectivity of byrd glacier using RES data

Ice basal conditions determine the ice flow dynamics and are needed for the accurate modeling of ice sheets. In this paper, a large volume of data, collected over Antarctica's Byrd Glacier in 2011-2012 with multichannel radar, is analyzed to infer the basal conditions. The analysis of received radio echo sounding data includes power loss corrections for spherical spreading and roughness of the ice-surface and ice-bed interfaces, and the estimate of relative englacial attenuation and basal reflectivity values. From the estimated relative basal reflectivity values, basal conditions are inferred, and are validated using geophysical features from radar images, abruptness and coherence index values. The identified locations of high basal reflectivity values provide new insights on the subglacial hydrological network of Byrd Glacier.