Ground-Penetrating Radar Investigation of the Proposed Dome- CARA Tunnel Route and Utilities at South Pole Station, Antarctica

• Main Authors: Arcone, Steven A., Tobiasson, Wayne, Delaney, Allan J.
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1995
• Subjects: Civil Engineering; Active & Passive Radar Detection & Equipment; *RADAR IMAGES; *TUNNELS; *ANTARCTIC REGIONS; ALGORITHMS; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; MILITARY FACILITIES; DEBRIS; RESOLUTION; DEPTH; PENETRATION; PROFILES; SNOW COVER; SURVEYS; RADAR REFLECTIONS; DATA ACQUISITION; RADAR RECEIVERS; TRANSDUCERS; DATA COMPRESSION; BURIED OBJECTS; RADAR CLUTTER; SITE INVESTIGATIONS; RADAR ANTENNAS; ANTENNA RADIATION PATTERNS; SUBSURFACE; RADAR PULSES; SHORT PULSES; WATER WELLS; MILITARY ENGINEERING; SEWAGE; GROUND PENETRATING RADAR; Antarctic; Cara; South Pole; Antarc*; Antarctica; South pole
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA306940; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA306940

Ground-penetrating radar studies were performed at South Pole Station, Antarctica, during January 1993 to determine if subsurface obstructions exist along a planned tunnel route from the main station to the new astrophysical research area on the far side of the skiway, and if various man-made subsurface features such as sewage sumps, a water well, utilidors and buried buildings could be located and delineated. The maximum depth of interest for the tunnel survey was approximately 10 m. For it, a short-pulse antenna transducer with its antenna bandwidth centered near 400 MHz was towed along the ground surface over multiple traverses to cover an area up to 60 m wide. The survey extended from the South Pole Station fuel arch, across the skiway and then to the CARA site (Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica). The radar profiles show reflections from density layering within the snow caused by traffic and diffractions from artificial features within 13 m depth. Debris is present in the snow west of the skiway and near the fuel bladder near the taxiway. Targets within 100 m of the west side of the skiway are extensive, and appear to be metallic. The tunnel should be routed in the clear area north of them. Targets near the fuel bladder are only 3 to 4 m below the surface. The tunnel could go under them, but as a precaution they could be removed. An additional survey was run over a 30-m- wide swath from the ASTRO facility at the CARA site to the new elevated dormitory, a distance of approximately 800 m. This swath appears to be clear of any subsurface debris, except very near the dormitory. Surveys performed at several utility sites near the main station provided a general assessment of the dielectric properties of the firn, and tested the radar's ability to delineate subsurface features and potential hazards.