Project Title

EAGER: L-Band Radar Ice Sounder for Measuring Ice Basal Conditions and Ice-Shelf Melt Rate

Summary

Event Number:
I-554-M

Program Manager:
Dr. Paul Cutler

ASC POC/Implementer:
Jenny Cunningham

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Stephen Yan
jbyan@ua.edu
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Location

Supporting Stations: McMurdo Station
Research Locations: Concordia Station

Description

Predicting the response of ice sheets to changing climate and their contribution to sea level requires accurate representation in numerical models of basal conditions under the ice. There remain large data gaps for these basal boundary conditions under the East Antarctic Ice Sheet as well as in West Antarctica, including basal melt rates under ice shelves. This project will develop and test a prototype ground-based radar system to sound and image ice more than four kilometers thick, detect thin water films at the ice bed, and determine basal melt rates under ice shelves. The team will work with European partners (France, Italy, Germany) at Dome C to conduct deep-field Antarctic testing of the new radar.

Field Season Overview

Three participants will deploy to McMurdo Station in early November. They will remain on-station to complete required core and field safety trainings, then will continue on to Concordia station by Basler aircraft. All field work conducted at Dome C and Little Dome C will be supported by the Italian (PNRA) and French (IPEV) Antarctic Programs. This project is associated with the BE-OI (Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice) consortium of 10 European countries searching for the oldest ice core record on earth. Once their work is complete, the team will return to McMurdo Station with a portion of their cargo on a foreign program’s airframe.

Deploying Team Members