On the Limitations of Using Polarimetric Radar Sounding to Infer the Crystal Orientation Fabric of Ice Masses
Journal: Geophysical Research Letters
Year: 2021

Abstract We introduce a transfer matrix model for radio‐wave propagation through layered anisotropic ice that permits an arbitrary dielectric permittivity tensor in each layer. The model is used to investigate how crystal orientation fabrics without a vertical principal direction affect polarimetric radar returns over glaciers and ice sheets. By expanding the c ‐axis orientation distribution in terms of a spherical harmonic series, we find that radar returns from synthetic fabric profiles are re