Cj. Vanderveen et al., SURFACE-ROUGHNESS ON THE GREENLAND ICE-SHEET FROM AIRBORNE LASER ALTIMETRY, Geophysical research letters, 25(20), 1998, pp. 3887-3890
High resolution airborne laser altimetry is used to determine the smal
l-scale surface relief in central Greenland and estimate the contribut
ion from spatial noise to stratigraphic records. The standard deviatio
n of the surface roughness is 1.6 cm water equivalent, corresponding t
o a standard deviation of annual layer thickness of 2.3 cm we. This es
timate agrees with an independent assessment of the spatial variabilit
y (2.5 cm we) based on nine shallow ice cores. The agreement suggests
that the statistical nature of the surface in central Greenland remain
s unchanged throughout the year. By conducting airborne altimetry arou
nd proposed drilling sites, the expected noise level in the core can b
e evaluated and sites Selected where this level is lowest.