On the retrieval of internal temperature of Antarctica Ice Sheet by using SMOS observations

Abstract

Internal temperature is an essential parameter for understanding ice sheet dynamics. Glaciological models provide estimations of temperature profiles over Antarctica and few boreholes are also available, but, at present, no measurement exists at the scale of the whole continent. The analysis of passive L-band observations from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite shows that, thanks to the high penetration depth (i.e. up to 1500 m), it is possible to infer information on in depth glaciological properties of the ice sheet including temperature. In this study, the temperature profile is retrieved from SMOS observations using jointly glaciological and emission models. The developed methodology is valid in the inner part of Antarctica where the ice sheet is almost stable (i.e. its velocity is limited to 10 m yr−1). This analysis points out that in several cases, differences are observed between retrieved temperature profiles and those predicted by glaciological models. In particular, some geophysical parameters, namely the geothermal heat flux and the mean annual accumulation, need to be modified with respect to their prior values in order to simulate SMOS brightness temperatures. Results also clearly show that the reliability of the retrieved profile in depth decreases with increasing ice thickness due to the limited penetration of microwaves in the ice. The obtained results prove the capability of L band (1.4 GHz) passive microwave sensors for investigating the internal temperature of the ice-sheet.