A freeze-on ice zone along the Zhongshan–Kunlun ice sheet profile, East Antarctica, by a new ground-based ice-penetrating radar

Abstract

The 2012/2013 Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE) ’s inland traverse from Zhongshan station to Kunlun station on the East Antarctic ice sheet provided an opportunity to reveal englacial freeze-on ice using ice-penetrating radar. A radar dataset along the profile was collected using a new ground-based radar system with a high frequency of 150 MHz. A typical example of a freeze-on ice structure was revealed in the radar images, similar to that found in the Dome A region. The subglacial stratigraphy showed a new freeze-on ice zone with a length of 10 km near the ice-bedrock interface along the traverse, located 1,044–1,056 km from the coast.

摘要

中国中山站-昆仑站冰盖考察断面所在的伊丽莎白公主地兰伯特冰川流域的冰川学环境仍是人类所知甚少的区域。由冰雷达探测获得的冰盖内部复冻结冰是表征冰盖物质平衡的一个重要结构。针对中山站-昆仑站内陆冰盖考察断面,2012/2013年中国第29次南极考察队使用一个中心频率为150 MHz的新探冰雷达系统进行了冰盖内部复冻结冰探测,收集了整个断面~1300 km的雷达数据,获得了该断面的复冻结冰分布。一个与在冰穹 A地区所发现的复冻结冰结构相似的区域由雷达图像所揭示。分析表明,沿着雷达测线,该复冻结冰区域长约10 km, 平均厚度约300 m,其位置距离中山站1044–1056 km;复冻结区所在的冰盖区域的表面高程为~3610–3750 m,冰厚为910–2250 m,其冰厚显著小于最早发现复冻结冰的冰穹A区域的冰厚。