Chinese radioglaciological studies on the Antarctic ice sheet: progress and prospects

Abstract

Chinese radioglaciological studies on the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) began in 2004/05 when the 21st Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 21) team arrived at Dome A for the first time and radio echo sounding (RES) was conducted along the inland traverse and in the Dome A region. Subsequently, more field surveys were conducted along the traverse and in the Dome A region using different radar systems targeting different scientific purposes, such as revealing the landscape of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains by detailed grid RES, or locating a deep ice core drilling site by mapping and studying internal structures, bedrock topography and subglacial conditions in the Dome A region. Furthermore, the evolution of the AIS was inferred from the typical mountain glaciation topography beneath Dome A, and the age of the deep ice core at Kunlun Station was estimated through numerical modeling. Recently, the Snow Eagle 601 airplane was acquired and an airborne geophysical system was constructed to survey the AIS in Princess Elizabeth Land during CHINARE 32 (2015/16) and CHINARE 33 (2016/17) in order to fill the large data gap there. In this paper, we review both the recent progress of Chinese radioglaciological science in Antarctica and future proposed work. Citation: Cui X B, Wang T T, Sun B, et al. Chinese radioglaciological studies on the Antarctic ice sheet: progress and prospects. Adv Polar Sci, 2017, 28(3): 161–170, doi: 10.13679/j.advps.2017.3.00161