KRT1/LGV1 Season Field Report

• Main Authors: Lindzey, L., Quartini, E., Buhl, D., Blankenship, D., Richter, T., Greenbaum, J., Young, D.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Institute for Geophysics 2017
• Subjects: aergeophysics; ice penetrating radar; airborne gravity; laser altimetry; field work; Antarctica; David Glacier; Nansen Ice Shelf; Jang Bo Go Station; helicopters; Bogo; Terra Nova Bay; Antarc*; Ice Shelf
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.26153/tsw/11620; https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/84641

Building on UTIG’s 20 years of experience with fixed-wing aerogeophysical operations, UTIG and KOPRI have collaborated to migrate the UTIG DC-3T instrument suite to two AS-350 helicopters. UTIG’s typical instrument suite consists of a VHF ice-penetrating radar, a laser altimeter, camera, magnetometer, and gravimeter, along with a number of GPS units and an Inertial Navigation System (INS) for accurate positioning. This platform migration required miniaturizing many of the acquisition electronics, designing entirely new antennas for the radar system, as well as substantial software customizations. UTIG and KOPRI first collaborated during the 2015-2016 season to test helicopter gravimetry, a project that represented the first ever deployment of a gravimeter from an icebreaker in Antarctica. The 2016-207 season marks the first time a UTIG-designed VHF radar sounder has been flown on a helicopter. Compared to fixed-wing, the helicopters offer a particularly versatile platform for aerogeophysical survey due to the much lower infrastructure requirements, the ability to operate from an icebreaker, and the technical possibilities afforded by using a more maneuverable platform. : Description of a dual helicopter aergeophysical survey from Jang Bogo Station, Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica that took place in 2016-2017, supported by UTIG graduate student assistants and engineers. Ice penetrating radar and laser altimetry over David Glacier and Nansen Ice Shelf were collected by one helicopter as part of the KRT1 campaign, while gravity data was collected over Nansen Ice Shelf as part of the LGV1 campaign on a second helicopter.