Surface melt strongly influences the thermodynamics and stability of Antarctic ice shelves, yet firn models remain poorly constrained due to scarce observations. We present a framework that integrates satellite-borne microwave radiometry with firn modeling to evaluate meltwater generation and infiltration. Using the GEMB surface energy balance model, we simulate snow and firn temperature, density, and liquid water content (LWC) on the Shackleton Ice Shelf. These outputs drive the MEMLS radiative transfer model to simulate microwave brightness temperatures (TB), which we compare with 1.4 and 36.5 GHz satellite radiometer observations. Because TB is highly sensitive to LWC, this approach provides a powerful constraint on firn thermodynamics in data-sparse regions. Our results reveal that realistic simulation of meltwater percolation and refreezing requires substantially finer vertical resolution than typically employed. Incorporating radiometric constraints thus improves firn evolution modeling and advances projections of Antarctic ice shelf stability.
Colliander et al. (Fri,) studied this question.