The radar altimeter of the satellite Seasat has proved that ice and snow surfaces in the polar regions can return meaningful signals if the terrain is not excessively rugged or sloping. Because the use of the leading edge of the wave forms for height determination entails inherent uncertainties and, at best, provides only a single datum per wave form, the entire wave forms should be studied. Excesses or deficiencies in amplitude at various ranges within a single wave form, and the changes that occur in successive wave forms, can be analysed to yield information on the geometric and scattering properties of features observed by the altimeter.

Results from computer simulations are presented, showing how (1) a margin of sea ice (sinusoidal in the model) can be mapped, (2) the boundaries of two isolated ice floes can be outlined, (3) sea-ice concentrations can be derived within annuli about the nadir of an individual footprint, and (4) for land ice, the elevations of topographic features, together with the general slope of the ground, can be determined if an imaging instrument that operates simultaneously with the altimeter provides the outlines of these features. In examples (1) and (2), it is assumed that the ice is contiguous wherever that is possible, to permit the analytical reconstruction of the ice margin or individual ice floes in the presence of the inevitable ambiguity in the position of any feature with respect to the two sides of the satellite track. Example (4) requires that the altimeter record correctly records the strongest signals returned by ice-packs. This condition is not fulfilled by any existing radar altimeter, but it may be achieved in the next generation of these instruments. In additional examples of information from entire wave forms, the effects of crevasses and sastrugi in reducing or re-distributing the energy of the returned signals are also illustrated.

Full details of these analyses and results will be published at a later date.