Ice thickness, internal layers, and surface and subglacial topography in the vicinity of Chinese Antarctic Taishan station in Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica

Abstract

We present the results of two ground-based radio-echo-sounding (RES) and GPS surveys performed in the vicinity of new Chinese Taishan station, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica, obtained in two austral summers during CHINARE 21 (2004/2005) and CHINARE 29 (2012/2013). The radar surveys measured ice thickness and internal layers using 60- and 150-MHz radar systems, and GPS measurements showed smooth surface slopes around the station with altitudes of 2607–2636 m above sea level (a.s.l.). Radar profiles indicate an average ice thickness of 1900 m, with a maximum of 1949 m and a minimum of 1856 m, within a square area measuring approximately 2 km × 2 km in the vicinity of the station. The ice thickness beneath the station site is 1870 m. The subglacial landscape beneath the station is quiet sharp and ranges from 662 to 770 m a.s.l., revealing part of a mountainous topography. The ice volume in the grid is estimated to be 7.6 km3. Along a 60-MHz radar profile with a length of 17.6 km at the region covering the station site, some disturbed internal layers are identified and traced; the geometry of internal layers within the englacial stratigraphy may imply a complex depositional process in the area.