Casey Antarctic Traverse Glaciological Measurements From 1981

Four traverses from Casey Station in 1981 collected glaciological data across East Antarctica between 60°E and 160°E. Measurements included ice velocity, snow accumulation, ice thickness, snow temperature, density, and gravity. The data was compiled by Australia's Antarctic Division for the International Antarctic Glaciological Project.

Use Cases

• Analyze ice velocity patterns from Doppler Satellite surveying stations.
• Model ice sheet thickness and bedrock topography using ice radar profile data.
• Calculate historical snow accumulation rates from surface snow density and isotope samples.
• Correlate 10m depth snow temperatures with surface profiles from barometric levelling.
• Estimate mass balance changes using gravity determinations and horizontal distance measurements along the Undulation Line.

Strengths

• Data from four distinct traverses conducted over different seasons totaling approximately 5 months of fieldwork.
• Includes multiple concurrent measurement types: ice velocity, accumulation, thickness, temperature, density, and gravity.
• Geographic coverage spans a significant portion of East Antarctic ice sheet bounded by longitude 60°E to 160°E.

Limitations

• Data is from a single year (1981), limiting longitudinal analysis of trends.
• Sample sizes for specific measurements like snow samples are unknown and likely sparse.
• Data is archived in a report format, which may limit direct machine-readability.

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Division (AU_AADC) archive.

Collection Method

Field measurements collected via traverses using Doppler Satellite surveying, ice radar, barometric levelling, and sample collection.

Time Range

1981

Freshness

null

Geography

East Antarctic ice sheet approximately bounded by longitude 60°E to 160°E and latitude 80°S.