The Multichannel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder (MCoRDS), operated by the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS), is a multichannel radar used to measure ice sheet thickness and terrain beneath the ice, which is important for computer models of ice sheets. The radar operates over the frequency range from 140 to 230 MHz with multiple receivers developed for airborne sounding and imaging of ice sheets and has an adjustable radar bandwidth of 20 MHz to 60 MHz. Multiple receivers permit digital beamsteering for suppressing cross-track surface clutter that can mask weak ice-bed echoes and strip-map synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of the ice-bed interface. With 200 Watts of peak transmit power, a loop sensitivity > 190 dB is achieved. These radars are flown aboard twin engine and long-range aircraft including NASA’s P-3 and DC-8.
