Potential of the Global Precipitation Measurement Constellation for Characterizing the Polar Firn

This paper discusses the utilization of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) constellation as a single multi-frequency radiometer to profile subsurface properties of the polar firn. Initial analyses focusing on the Concordia station in Antarctica have demonstrated that GPM brightness temperature measurements can be successfully simulated across a wide frequency spectrum below 100 GHz and are sensitive to important physical properties of the firn from its surface down to deep isothermal ice. Therefore, the GPM constellation provides an excellent opportunity for characterizing the polar firn with broad spatiotemporal coverage.