Radar-Derived Internal Structure and Basal Roughness Characterization along a Traverse from Zhongshan Station to Dome A, East Antarctica

Kun Luo; Sixin Liu; Jingxue Guo; Tiantian Wang; Lin Li; Xiangbin Cui; Bo Sun; Xueyuan Tang

doi:10.3390/rs12071079

Remote Sensing (Mar 2020)

Radar-Derived Internal Structure and Basal Roughness Characterization along a Traverse from Zhongshan Station to Dome A, East Antarctica

Kun Luo,
Sixin Liu,
Jingxue Guo,
Tiantian Wang,
Lin Li,
Xiangbin Cui,
Bo Sun,
Xueyuan Tang

Affiliations

Kun Luo: College of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China
Sixin Liu: College of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China
Jingxue Guo: State Oceanic Administration Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China
Tiantian Wang: Department of Survey Science and Engineering, College of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China
Lin Li: State Oceanic Administration Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China
Xiangbin Cui: State Oceanic Administration Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China
Bo Sun: State Oceanic Administration Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China
Xueyuan Tang: State Oceanic Administration Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12071079
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 7
p. 1079

Abstract

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The internal layers of ice sheets from ice-penetrating radar (IPR) investigation preserve critical information about the ice-flow field and englacial conditions. This paper presents a new detailed analysis of spatial distribution characteristics of internal layers and subglacial topography of the East Antarctic ice sheet (EAIS) from Zhongshan Station to Dome A. The radar data of 1244 km along a traverse between Zhongshan Station and Dome A of EAIS were collected during the 29th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 29, 2012/2013). In this study, the Internal Layering Continuity Index (ILCI) and basal roughness were taken as indicators to provide an opportunity to evaluate the past internal environment and dynamics of the ice sheet. Except for the upstream of Lambert Glacier, the fold patterns of internal layers are basically similar to that of the bed topography. The relatively flat basal topography and the decrease of ILCI with increasing depth provide evidence for identifying previous rapid ice flow areas that are unavailable to satellites, especially in the upstream of Lambert Glacier. Continuous internal layers of Dome A, recording the spatial change of past ice accumulation and ice-flow history over 160 ka, almost extend to the bed, with high ILCI and high basal roughness of the corresponding bed topography. There are three kinds of basal roughness patterns along the traverse, that is, “low ξt low η”, “low ξt high η”, and “high ξt high η”, where ξt represents the amplitude of the undulations, and quantifies the vertical variation of the bedrock, and η measures the frequency variation of fluctuations and the horizontal irregularity of the profile. The characteristics of internal layers and basal topography of the traverse between Zhongshan Station and Dome A provide new information for understanding the ancient ice-flow activity and the historical evolution of EAIS.

Published in Remote Sensing

ISSN: 2072-4292 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/

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