Project Title

EarthScope GAGE high-precision GPS and ground-based light detection and ranging (LiDAR) support

Summary

Event Number:
T-295-M
NSF / EAR Award 2614915

Program Director:
Dr. Marion Dierickx

ASC POC/Implementer:
Paul Sullivan / Jenny Cunningham

Principal Investigator(s)

Mr. Joseph R Pettit
joe.pettit@earthscope.org
EarthScope Consortium
Longmont, Colorado

Location

Supporting Stations: McMurdo Station
Research Locations: McMurdo and Field Locations

Description

The EarthScope Consortium provides technical support and equipment for precision geodetic observations using global positioning system (GPS), terrestrial lidar, and uncrewed aerial system (UAS) technologies. Survey-grade GPS receivers, terrestrial laser scanners, and power and communications systems for both high-precision campaign surveying and continuous data collection are available to project researchers. Infrastructure for this support includes a real-time kinematic (RTK) differential GPS broadcasting station covering McMurdo Sound, a repeater on Mount Erebus for GPS data retrieval from the Transantarctic Mountains, and an Iridium satellite communications hub in Colorado. Technical support is also provided for the Palmer Station GPS surveying system. Operation and maintenance is provided as needed for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) International Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Service (IGS) stations MCMD and PALM, the Polar Earth Observing Network-Antarctic Network (POLENET-ANET) remote GPS stations, and GPS reference stations on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide and at South Pole Station. EarthScope also provides high-rate reference station data from continuously operating GNSS receivers at McMurdo Station (MCMD, ARVL), South Pole Station (AMU2), and Palmer Station (PAL2).

Field Season Overview

EarthScope field engineers will work out of McMurdo Station for much of this field season, providing technical and field engineering support to various projects, managing the on-Ice geodetic equipment pool, and servicing near field installed instruments as needed. Supported science events include C-504-M Diaz, C-506-M Gooseff, C-511-M Doran, D-550-M Elosegui, I-162-M Keegan, I-169-M MacAyeal, I-187-M COLDEX, O-283-M Lazzara, and G-298-MS Shen, among other science and operational events. One EarthScope engineer will be embedded in the G-079-E POLENET-ANET team this year. This group will be based at the Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE) Union Glacier field camp.

Deploying Team Members