Determination of ice thickness, sub-ice topography and ice volume at Glacier No.1 in Tien Shan, China by ground penetrating radar

• Main Authors: Bo, Sun, Peng, Zhang, Keqin, Jiao, Xinsheng, Deng, Jiahong, Wen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Polar Research Institute of China - PRIC 2003
• Subjects: Advances in Polar Science; Polar Science
• Online Access: http://library.arcticportal.org/2258/; http://library.arcticportal.org/2258/1/A200302001.pdf

We describe a radio-echo sounding (RES) survey for the determination of ice thickness, subglacial topography and ice volume of Glacier No.1, in Tien Shan, China, using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Radar data were collected with 100 MHz antennas that were spaced at 4 m with a step size of 8 m. The images produced from radar survey clearly show the continuity of bedrock echoes and the undulation features of the bedrock surface. Radar results show that the maximum ice thickness of Glacier No.1 is 133 m, the thickness of the east branch of Glacier No.1 averages at 58.77 m while that of the west branch of Glacier No.1 averages at 44.84 m. Calculation on ice volume indicates that the ice volume of the east branch of Glacier No.1 is 51.87 * 10(6) m(3) and that of the west branch of Glacier No.1 is 20.21 * 10(6) m(3). The amplitude of the undulation of the bedrock surface topography revealed by radar profiles is larger than that of the glacier surface topography, indicating that the surface relief does not directly depend on that of the bedrock undulation in Glacier No.1, in Tien Shan