Co-registration of MOLA profiles to HRSC DTMs for mapping local seasonal ice cover height variations at the Martian poles

Abstract

We propose the co-registration of local laser profile segments to high resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) as an approach for obtaining seasonal CO2 ice cover height variations on Mars. The co-registration is parameterized in instantaneous MOLA pointing angles involving a rigorous laser altimeter geolocation model. Thereby, the height bias of the MOLA footprint produced by the pointing bias could be compensated through an iterative process. The feasibility and advantages of this method are tested in an example region. The ultimate goal is to apply this method to Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) radar altimetry and high-resolution stereoscopic DTMs to generate long-term seasonal height change time series at the Martian poles with high spatial and temporal resolution.