Airborne Geophysical Survey of East Antarctica and Lake Vostok

2000-2001 airborne geophysical data collected by The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) using a suite of instruments including a laser altimeter, radar echo sounder, gravimeter, and magnetometer. The dataset covers two distinct surveys in East Antarctica, including a grid-based survey of subglacial Lake Vostok and a 1200 km line-based transect. Data includes reduced measurements such as surface and bed elevations, ice thickness, and gravity and magnetic field anomalies.

Use Cases

• Map subglacial topography and ice thickness from surface and bed elevation columns to model ice flow dynamics.
• Analyze gravity and magnetic field anomaly columns to infer geological structures beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.
• Correlate laser altimeter and radar echo sounder data to study surface elevation change and internal ice layers.
• Use the 1200 km transect data to create regional geophysical profiles from the Transantarctic Mountains toward Dome A.
• Integrate GPS positioning data with geophysical measurements for precise spatiotemporal analysis of survey lines.

Strengths

• Data from two distinct Antarctic surveys, including a focused grid over Lake Vostok.
• Includes multiple synchronized geophysical measurements (laser altimeter, radar, gravimeter, magnetometer).
• Covers a significant transect of approximately 1200 km in length.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and data resolution are unknown.
• Dataset is temporally limited to a single field season from 2000-2001.
• Geographic coverage is restricted to specific regions of East Antarctica.

Provenance

Source

The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG).

Collection Method

Airborne survey using laser altimeter, radar echo sounder, gravimeter, magnetometer, and kinematic differential GPS.

Time Range

2000-2001

Geography

East Antarctica, specifically a grid over subglacial Lake Vostok and a 1200 km transect from the Transantarctic Mountains toward Dome A.