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https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-488
© 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/egusphere-2026-488
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
10 Feb 2026
| 10 Feb 2026
Status: this preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Brief Communication: Bed mapping of southern Greenland outlet glaciers using helicopter-borne ground penetrating radar (AIRETH)
Abstract. We present the first southern Greenland deployment of the redesigned Airborne Ice Radar of ETH Zurich (AIRETH). We surveyed 348 km of flight lines over three outlet glaciers and identified bed reflections along 102 km (29 %). The 25 MHz configuration achieved an effective penetration depth of about 300 m and a maximum inferred ice thickness of about 340 m, while bed detectability decreased over thicker and/or heavily crevassed ice. These results define the current depth limitation of our system and show that terrain-following helicopter surveys can provide targeted constraints that complement existing datasets in complex topography.
How to cite. Santin, I., Horgan, H., Moser, R., Bjørnholt Karlsson, N., Maghami Nick, F., Vieli, A., Rutishauser, A., Maurer, H., and Farinotti, D.: Brief Communication: Bed mapping of southern Greenland outlet glaciers using helicopter-borne ground penetrating radar (AIRETH), EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-488, 2026.
Competing interests: At least one of the (co-)authors is a member of the editorial board of The Cryosphere.
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Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Sion, Switzerland
Huw Horgan
Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Sion, Switzerland
Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Raphael Moser
Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Sion, Switzerland
Nanna Bjørnholt Karlsson
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
Faezeh Maghami Nick
Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Andreas Vieli
Department of Geography, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Anja Rutishauser
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
Hansruedi Maurer
Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Daniel Farinotti
Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Sion, Switzerland
Short summary
Ice thickness near Greenland’s coast is still poorly measured, yet it is vital for predicting sea level rise. We flew a helicopter ice-penetrating radar over three outlet glaciers in southern Greenland and mapped the glacier bed where basal reflections were clear. We measured ice up to about 340 meters thick, with reliable penetration typically to about 300 meters, providing new constraints that can improve regional bed maps.
Ice thickness near Greenland’s coast is still poorly measured, yet it is vital for predicting...
The paper entitled Bed mapping of southern Greenland outlet glaciers using helicopter-borne ground penetrating radar (AIRETH) focuses on a new GPR dataset collected in March 2025 using a redesigned helicopter-borne radar. The manuscript is well written and organised. It contains interesting comparisons between the new ice thickness estimates and previous publicly available datasets from the same area. While the analysis is rigorous and meaningful, I suggest some possible improvements and clarifications:
- The text states that the effective penetration depth is approximately 300 m, reaching 340 m in around 5% of measurements. These values are reported multiple times throughout the manuscript, but they are somewhat confusing. I recommend marking the maximum penetration depth obtained, detailing that it is reduced under specific ice conditions.
- Figure 1 summarises the ice thicknesses were the AIRETH profiles provide an interpretable glacier bad. There are crossing point at which such an interface is detected only along one of the two crossing profiles. This peculiar situation should be commented on and discussed.
- Figure 2 shows examples of AIRETH-interpreted profiles. The authors state in the text that: " the basal return commonly manifests as a transition from low-amplitude, texture-like clutter to a zone of persistently higher backscatter", but this is not always the case, as is apparent from the examples themselves, as well as the supplementary material. The authors merely state that "in a few sectors (see Figure 2b–c), the bed forms a continuous, high-amplitude horizon." I recommend deepening the analysis by discussing the high radar signature variability in the text.
I recommend publishing the paper after the previous points have been addressed and a minor revision process has been completed.