Design and Implementation of a Compact Receiver Module for an Ice Penetrating Radar Depth Sounder

Abstract

The study of global climate change is an important issue in the scientific community and radar depth sounding and imaging data is very useful in modeling and predicting the changes to the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. A compact radar receiver module for CReSIS's MCoRDS/I system was developed to standardize the system across various platforms and accommodate future upgrades to the system that will increase its performance and produce more complete and accurate data products of the most challenging target areas. Design parameters for the receiver module were determined by considering all possible current and future operation conditions of the MCoRDS/I system. The receiver module was designed, simulated, implemented, and tested in the field and shown to achieve its design goals.