The internal COF features in Dome A of Antarctica revealed by multi-polarization-plane RES

Abstract

The ice exceeding one million years old has significant meaning for verifying and interpreting the middle Pleistocene transition (MPT) and the relationship between greenhouse gas and climate change. The region near Dome A in Antarctica satisfies the conditions for obtaining million-years-old ice since it has low temperatures and low accumulation rates. We analyze the corresponding relation between radar wave features and the crystal orientation fabric (COF) types based on the results of multi-polarization plane radio echo sounding (RES). The results show that, even in the summit of the ice sheet, the COF type is not perfect, but is an elongated single-pole COF. Principal-axis-orientation differences of the COF among the different periods exist and reveal that the ice flow orientations are not constant but deviate clockwise with the increasing depth. This may be related to the adjacent basal valley or both height and position changes of the summit during the glacial-interglacial periods.