C032-11
UKANET: Logistical Challenges and Preliminary Results from a Geodetic Network Recording Crustal Deformation in Antarctica
Thursday, 10 December 2020: 11:00
Virtual
Pippa Whitehouse1, Peter J Clarke2, Achraf Koulali3, Matt A King4, Terry J Wilson5, David Michael Saddler5, David J. Maxfield6, Thomas Nylen7,8 and Joe Pettit7, (1)Durham University, Department of Geography, Durham, United Kingdom, (2)Newcastle University, School of Engineering, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, (3)Newcastle University, School of Engineering, Newcastle, United Kingdom, (4)University of Tasmania, Surveying and Spatial Sciences, School of Technology, Environments and Design, Hobart, TAS, Australia, (5)Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States, (6)NERC British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom, (7)UNAVCO, Inc. Boulder, Boulder, United States, (8)DTU National Space Institute, København Ø, Denmark
Abstract:
Present-day rates of vertical and horizontal bedrock deformation across Antarctica, as observed by GNSS, can be used to investigate a range of processes including plate motion, glacial isostatic adjustment, the solid Earth response to contemporary surface load change, and tectonic deformation. Improved knowledge of the mechanics of these processes has the potential to advance our understanding of ice sheet dynamics and Earth rheology.
The logistical challenges associated with developing and maintaining a GNSS network in a polar environment are numerous. We report here on challenges overcome and lessons learnt during upgrade of the NERC-funded UKANET-GNSS network. The network currently comprises 28 sites located along the Antarctic Peninsula and around the Weddell Sea embayment. Our goal is year-round data collection and real-time data transmission to the scientific community from all sites.
Analysis of GNSS time series from Antarctic sites must overcome issues associated with data gaps, signal artefacts, and hardware change following equipment failure due to the harsh conditions. Here, we report on steps taken to address these issues and document a method to remove artefacts associated with the intrusion of snow and ice into GNSS antennae. Preliminary solutions for the evolving surface velocity field across Antarctica will be presented.
