The Sun and other stars are colossal sources of electromagnetic radiation across the spectrum. In this chaos of signals, Stanford researchers have identified the potential for monitoring ice and polar changes on Earth and across the solar system.
At present, information about the polar subsurface is collected by flying aeroplanes over ice sheets, transmitting an 'active' radar signal from a system on board (airborne ice-penetrating radar). This is a resource-intensive technique which only provides information about conditions at the time of flight and contributions to carbon emissions with every trip.
However, the Stanford researchers have demonstrated a battery-powered receiver with an antenna placed on the ice; this detects solar radio waves as they reach Earth and pass through the ice sheet to the subsurface. This system effectively harnesses natural radio signals rather than produce its own with an airborne transmitter.
The concept was originally...