Steinhage, Daniel; Helm, Veit (2026): ARK 1997: AWI airborne Radio-Echo Sounding data over the North GRIP ice core site in central Greenland and south-west Greenland (Nord GRIP project) [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.995616
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Published: 2026-06-19 • DOI registered: 2026-07-18
Abstract:
This dataset contains airborne radar data acquired using the AWI EMR system (Nixdorf et al., 1999) during the Arctic season of 1997. The profiles extend in a grid around the North GRIP ice core site in central Greenland and in south-west Greenland. The data are available as netCDF files (including waveforms and metadata), KML files of the profile line locations, and quicklook images of the radargrams.
Keyword(s):
Related to:
Eisen, Olaf; Steinhage, Daniel; Franke, Steven; Helm, Veit; Binder, Tobias; Drews, Reinhard; Eagles, Graeme; Humbert, Angelika; Jansen, Daniela; Jokat, Wilfried; Lambrecht, Astrid; Mieth, Matthias; Riedel, Sven; Miller, Heinrich (2024): Collection of datasets from AWI's radio-echo sounding systems on ice sheets and glaciers [dataset bibliography]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.972094
Franke, Steven; Steinhage, Daniel; Helm, Veit; Binder, Tobias; Nixdorf, Uwe; Miller, Heinrich; Humbert, Angelika; Jansen, Daniela; Eagles, Graeme; Eisermann, Hannes; Jokat, Wilfried; Ruppel, Antonia; Drews, Reinhard; Zuhr, Alexandra; Driemel, Amelie; Walter, Andreas; Konopatzky, Peter; Heß, Robin; Haas, Antonie; Koppe, Roland; Andreas, Pascal H; Eisen, Olaf (2026): Review article: 30 years of airborne radar surveys on the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets by the Alfred Wegener Institute. The Cryosphere, 20(4), 2485-2530, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2485-2026
Göktas, Fidan (1999): Ergebnisse der Untersuchung des grönlandischen Inlandeises mit dem elektromagnetischen Reflexionsverfahren in der Umgebung von NGRIP (Results from airborne radio-echosounding of the Greenland icesheet in the vicinity of NGRIP). Berichte zur Polarforschung = Reports on Polar Research, 336, 97 pp, https://doi.org/10.2312/BzP_0336_1999
Nixdorf, Uwe; Göktas, Fidan (2001): Spatial depth distribution of the subglacial bed and internal layers in the ice around NGRIP, Greenland, derived with airborne RES. Journal of Applied Geophysics, 47(3-4), 175-182, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0926-9851(01)00062-3
Nixdorf, Uwe; Steinhage, Daniel; Meyer, Uwe F; Hempel, L; Jenett, Martin; Wachs, P; Miller, Heinrich (1999): The newly developed airborne radio-echo sounding system of the AWI as a glaciological tool. Annals of Glaciology, 29, 231-238, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756499781821346
Additional metadata:
O2A Registry: Metadata for radar system Ice Thickness Radar 150 MHz at current version. Alfred Wegener Institut Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, https://registry.o2a-data.de/items/6794
Project(s):
North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP)
Coverage:
Median Latitude: 70.015182 * Median Longitude: -47.474164 * South-bound Latitude: 65.406593 * West-bound Longitude: -53.252098 * North-bound Latitude: 75.095619 * East-bound Longitude: -42.316578
Date/Time Start: 1997-05-20T00:00:00 * Date/Time End: 1997-06-20T00:00:00
Campaign(s):
Event(s):
NGRIP_1997_01a * Latitude Start: 67.011887 * Longitude Start: -50.695793 * Latitude End: 67.011810 * Longitude End: -50.695263 * Date/Time Start: 1997-05-21T14:35:18 * Date/Time End: 1997-05-21T16:50:40 * Location: Davis Strait * Campaign: NGRIP_1997 * Basis: POLAR 2 * Method/Device: Aircraft (AC)
NGRIP_1997_01b * Latitude Start: 66.216690 * Longitude Start: -44.549225 * Latitude End: 67.012009 * Longitude End: -50.696304 * Date/Time Start: 1997-05-21T20:39:13 * Date/Time End: 1997-05-21T22:14:38 * Location: Greenland * Campaign: NGRIP_1997 * Basis: POLAR 2 * Method/Device: Aircraft (AC)
NGRIP_1997_02 * Latitude Start: 67.011398 * Longitude Start: -50.695530 * Latitude End: 66.530708 * Longitude End: -47.100006 * Date/Time Start: 1997-05-23T15:58:54 * Date/Time End: 1997-05-23T17:49:52 * Location: Davis Strait * Campaign: NGRIP_1997 * Basis: POLAR 2 * Method/Device: Aircraft (AC)
Comment:
Project PI: Daniel Steinhage (AWI)
Contact persons for AWI Radio-echo sounding data: Daniel Steinhage (daniel.steinhage@awi.de), Veit Helm (veit.helm@awi.de), Olaf Eisen (olaf.eisen@awi.de)
The data are available as netCDF files, KML files, and quicklook images (JPEGs) of the radargrams.
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The netCDF files contain the following variables:
altitude: Platform altitude (WGS84) in meters
bed_elevation: bed elevation for each trace (using no firn correction and permitivity of ice: 3.15) in meters
bed_pick: picked bed location for each trace, expressed as twt in seconds
data: radar data
data_agc: scaled radar data using automatic gain control (AGC)
distance: Along-track distance in meters
ice_thickness: ice thickness for each trace (using no firn correction and permitivity of ice: 3.15) in meters
lat: Latitude in decimal degrees
lon: Longitude in decimal degrees
range: Range between sensor and surface in meters
spacing: along track trace to trace spacing in meters
surface: surface elevation derived from radar (WGS84) in meters
surface_pick: picked surface reflection in two-way travel time in seconds
time: Seconds of day
twt: Two-way travel time (twt) in seconds
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The KML files are in EPSG:4326, and the quicklook images show the AGC product of the radargram.
Parameter(s):
| # | Name | Short Name | Unit | Principal Investigator | Method/Device | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Season | Season | Steinhage, Daniel | |||
| 2 | Profile ID | Profile ID | Steinhage, Daniel | |||
| 3 | Instrument | Instrument | Steinhage, Daniel | |||
| 4 | Radar product | Radar prod | Steinhage, Daniel | |||
| 5 | netCDF file | netCDF | Steinhage, Daniel | Ice Thickness Radar radio-echo sounding RES [Nixdorf et al. 1999] | ||
| 6 | netCDF file (File Size) | netCDF (Size) | Bytes | Steinhage, Daniel | Ice Thickness Radar radio-echo sounding RES [Nixdorf et al. 1999] | |
| 7 | GIS file | GIS | Steinhage, Daniel | Ice Thickness Radar radio-echo sounding RES [Nixdorf et al. 1999] | KML Files | |
| 8 | Image | IMAGE | Steinhage, Daniel | Ice Thickness Radar radio-echo sounding RES [Nixdorf et al. 1999] | Quicklook |
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0)
Status:
Curation Level: Enhanced curation (CurationLevelC)
Size:
266 data points