GPR research for the organization of the runway on the sea ice in the area of the Bunger Oasis field base, East Antarctica

• Published in: Arctic and Antarctic Research
• Main Authors: A. A. Sukhanova, S. V. Popov, S. P. Polyakov, M. P. Kashkevich, V. L. Martyanov, А. А. Суханова, С. В. Попов, С. П. Поляков, М. П. Кашкевич, В. Л. Мартьянов
• Other Authors: The authors are grateful to the crew of “Avialift Vladivostok” for carrying out logistic operations during the field work and to the Institute of Earth Sciences of St. Petersburg State University for providing the geophysical equipment, Авторы выражают благодарность экипажу ЗАО «Авиалифт Владивосток» за обеспечение логистических операций в рамках проводимых работ и Институту наук о Земле СПбГУ за предоставленную геофизическую аппаратуру
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Russian
• Published: Государственный научный центр Российской Федерации Арктический и антарктический научно-исследовательский институт 2019
• Subjects: транспортные операции; Bunger Oasis; East Antarctica; georadar profiling; logistical support; transport operations; Восточная Антарктида; георадарное профилирование; логистическое обеспечение; Оазис Бангера; Antarctic; Rae; The Landing; Antarc*; Antarctica; Arctic; Journal of Glaciology; Sea ice; Антарктида
• Online Access: https://www.aaresearch.science/jour/article/view/195; https://doi.org/10.30758/0555-2648-2019-65-3-315-327

When one is carrying out logistic operations at Russian Antarctic stations, organization and safe operation of snow-runways play an important role. Nowadays six of the seven existing stations and field bases of the Russian Antarctic expedition (RAE) are provided with air communication, however, the Bunger Oasis field base is still outside the air transportation structure. The aim of the investigations described in this paper was to find a safe site for organizing a snow-runway in the area of the Bunger Oasis field base. Taking into account the location of the infrastructure objects of RAE within the Bunger Oasis, the central part of the epishelf Transcription Gulf, situated 7 km away from the base, was chosen as the most appropriate site. During the summer field season of the 64th RAE (2018/2019), a geophysical survey using the GPR (Ground-penetrating radar) method was carried out within the area to obtain data on the thickness of the bay ice. The GPR survey conducted shows that the sea ice thickness varies from 2.9 to 3.1 m. Moreover, no signs of discontinuities in the ice layer were found. The area investigated was identified as a safe site suitable for the landing of light and medium aircraft. However, due to the specificity of the relief of the oasis adjacent to the Bay, the weathering products of the rocks composing the hills migrated to the surface of the ice layer. The effect of solar radiation caused the thawing in the areas of such particles to increase, and this, in turn, led to the formation of cavities on the surface, the dimensions of which do not meet the requirements for runway coatings. As a result, in the area under study, the boundaries of the sites were determined that are suitable for the organization of runways for medium and small aircraft without preliminary rolling of the landing site. В настоящей работе представлены результаты исследований, выполненных в районе полевой базы Оазис Бангера в ходе полевого сезона 64-й РАЭ (2018/19 г.). Целью работ был поиск безопасной площадки для ...