  Optical probing of glaciers has the potential for tremendous impact on
environmental science. However, glacier ice is turbid, which prohibits the use
of most established optical measurements for determining a glacier's interior
structure. Here, we propose a method for determining the depth, scattering and
absorption length based upon diffuse propagation of short optical pulses. Our
model allows us to extract several characteristics of the glacier. Performing
Monte Carlo simulations implementing Mie scattering and mixed boundary
conditions, we show that the proposed approach should be feasible with current
technology. The results suggest that optical properties and geometry of the
glacier can be extracted from realistic measurements, which could be
implemented with low cost and small footprint.
