Jan 20, 2011
IceBridge Coordination session with other Greenland field programs.
Jonathon Bamber presented on his new projects creating a new, multi-resolution bedrock elevation
map of the Greenland ice sheet. He is working with the Ice2sea project and would like to incorporate
IceBridge data.
His original DEM used University of Kansas and Denmark data from the 1990’s. He noted that the
navigation systems used for the older data reduced the accuracy.
The old DEM, which interpolated the bedrock surface, had errors of a few percent in the center but
lager near the margins where data is critical for numerical modeling. He noted that better estimate of
ice marginal thickness are needed at edges of ice sheets for modeling
His new DEM will have interpolated ice thickness not bedrock. In the previous DEM version ice free
areas were of poorer quality with errors of 100’s of meters.
Now he is using data with accuracy +/-20 m with GIMP and sub-meter with IceSat which provides much
better constraints. He showed maps of the substantial differences between the old DEM and new beta
results especially around the edges of Greenland.
He stated the need for better bed map data for the Ice2Sea and used the scales of 5 km spacing in the
interior and up to 500 m for some basins near the margins of the ice sheet.
The new datasets that Bamber is producing will be on-going where new data can be integrated and the
maps updated continuously. He will try and incorporated bathymetry data out to continental shelf.
For small outlet glaciers that are not radar sounded or too small for gravity InSAR+SMB will be used to
get flux and that will be used to constrain ice thickness in areas of convergent flow on margins for small
outlet glaciers.
Questions:
Mark Fahnestock: Will there be a map of data that goes into the DEM?
There will be metadata with the number of observations that went into each grid point and an error
map.
Tom Wagner: What areas need to be flown and what should be the shape of the line?
No short answer, where you can get a return for the radars will determine the shape of the line. There
are no big holes, the biggest holes are in the interior but they are areas that don’t matter for ice sheet
modeling and it is relatively smooth so interpolation is fine.
He summed up by saying Ice Thickness, Ice Thickness, Ice Thickness.
Julian Dowdeswell
-Airborne geophysical investigations of basal conditions at flow transitions of outlet glaciers on GrIS
Julian is interested transitions zones including the onset zone, area of fast flow, and floating tongue,
For his studies Julian will be using the IceCap suite of instruments with Don Blankenship he will be
working in 10 major ice sheet basins, with 90 hours of flights or about 20,000 km, 1000-3000 km in
each basin.
Target were not completely set but may be the Dansgaard Jensen basin. There grids will nominally
follow flow lines.
They will eventually be linking their datasets and with marine and Greenland fjord data.
What has been done already is marine surveys? He is coordinating with 2D seismic lines with BP. The BP
data appears to be of good quality and will provide control points. He presented a map of cruise tracks.
Areas included Umanaq, Rink and Disco Bay. Some marine data was gridded at 50 m resolution but
other areas have 10 to 20 m resolution. Data was pinning Disco bay deglaciation around 10000-8000 yrs
ago.
Questions:
Tom Wagner: A re you dating the sediments?
Yes they are being processed now. Carbon dating.
Jorgen Dall
-P-band 435 MHz and VHF ice sounding of the Greenland ice Sheet
A VHF ice sounder was used on a twin otter over 79N and in PROMICE , Programme for monitoring of
the Greenland Ice Sheet ,2007 campaign to sound the grounding line in August. They also flew a laser.
There goal was to quantify the annual mass balance. They complete the grounding line survey again in
future campaign ( I did not catch the date).
PLARIS is a P-band radar. 2 weeks from now they will be flying PLARISon a P-3. There is a slide on the
radar specifics. They have had two flights so far. They flew from NEEM to north Grip and could detect
bed rock along this transect. He reported that the P-band radar can determine bedrock even in thick ice
with penetration through 3 km of ice. The radar is fully polarimetric allowing for studies on ice fabrics
and deformation history.
Nick Barrand
-Operation IceBridge and the British Antarctic Survey
Nick presented on the work that BAS is doing in Antarctica. He showed a slide with a map of BAS field
plans in Antarctica for 2010/2011. They have focused work on PIG where they will have ground based
radars and seismic equipment. They will fly a grid of Aerogeophsical lines in support of the drilling work
in PIG that Bob Bindschadler will be leading.
He announced the NERC Ice Sheet Stability announcement that will have Logistic support delivered by
BAS including Ocean cruises 2012-13 and a PIG tractor train traverse during the 13/14 field seasons. A
map of the proposed traverse stations for the two seasons was shown. The tractor train will have a
suite of instruments.
Nick presented on some specific projects. The Ferrino glacier where ground radar data was collected.
The field data was compare to IceBridge data and he has used both datasets to make a bed DEM of the
area. On Leppard and Flask Glaciers GPS and GPR surveys were conducted along with Airborne RES.
BAS will be able to use some IceBridge data in conjunction with this research but he noted the LVIS data
over Crane does not do down to the grounding line which would be helpful in the future.
Nick spoke about the Bedmap 2 project. He showed a slide with the data lines that went into the original
Bedmap. There are quite a few new datasets and Bedmap will be redone. Bebmap 2 has the goal to fill
in 2/3 of the gaps in bedmap. Provisional April 1st,2011 data deadline on Bedmap 2. Data released
after April 1st will not be included. They would need IceBridge data before April 1st.
The BAS Aerogeophysical group will be flying grids in many different areas in Antarctica. The map is
shown on a slide.
2011 Greenland BAS logistics include a Twin Otter that will be there to support L. Morris 20 April and 6
May, 2011 and will also be working on 79 North glacier.
Tania Casal
-The ESA CryoVex 2011 Campaign: an overview
Talk was given for Malcolm Davidson
CryoVex will be the first field activity with ESA/NASA collaboration after the signed collaborative
agreement. Tania showed a slide with ESA’s planned activities.
CryoVex will be deploying a Basler and a Twin Otter. The Airborne suite will include the ASIRAS radar
and a laser scanner along with other insturements. Ground teams will be based on both land ice and sea
ice. Land ice will have a specific sampling protocol. Details can be found in the draft Campaign
Implementation Plan.
The CryoSat-2 website has the cryosat orbits and swaths. The CryoSat-2 data is free to access and the
links to the websites were given on the slides.
During 1-3 February 2011 there will be the Cryosat Validation workshop in Rascati, Italy for more
discussion of the field campaigns. Both IceBridge and CryoVex scientists will be there to work out more
details on collaborative efforts.
Questions:
?? Will there be a gravimeter on the Basler?
No there will be no gravity on the Basler
Seymour Laxon
-Mission requirements for cryosat: trends in thickness
Seymour talked about determining See Ice thinkness from CryoSat-2. He emphasized the need to
determine the mean scattering layer of cryosat to make sure that it is the ice/snow interface on the sea
ice.
He talked about the sea ice portion of the cryovex campaign where the Twin Otter with ASIRAS will be
measuring snow thickness. The Polar 5 aircraft will have the lasers to look at total ice thickness. They
need to determine penetration of CryoSat. They will be using corner reflectors to determine
penetration. Results were variable from previous experiments. They believe this was due to the late
season, May, measurements when the snow on the sea ice had already started metamorphoses.
For Cryovex they want to be as far out on the sea ice, early in the season and will operate out of Alert,
Canada. He showed a slide with the in-situ line plans focused on looking at ground, air and satellite
scales.
The campaign will be on the 11,13,15,17 of April timing and he recommends April 13 as the best date.
On 11 of April they will be placing the corner reflectors. A Fly over with the aircraft on the 13th would
be best and the 14-18 the ground crew will go out so as not to disturb the snow when the planes go
over. A Ku-radar, EM, Snow depth, corner reflectors GPS buoy will be on the ground.
Ice Bridge could make a large contribution by flying the snow radar along the cryosat track over the
Cryovex campaign.
Questions:
?? How far apart will the camps be?
There is a slide with the circle of the range of the aircraft.
Michael Studinger, Is Alert open 24 hour?
Yes
Rene Forsberg
-CryoSat validation and ice sheet monitoring campaigns 2011
Rene gave a history of CryoSat Campaigns with ASIRAS and lidar. Areas covered include Greenland,
Svalvard, Devon ice cap and sea ice outside of alert.
On Devon ice cap they found that the twin otter could not fly down the side of the ice cap because it
was too step. The twin otter had the Riegl scanning lidar, nadir imagery, ASIRAS, GPS’s
Rene has also flewn many gravity and lidar flight on the edges of Greenland. A slide showed a map of
coverage.
In 2007-9 the GreenArc camp and Damocles did Lidar sea ice mapping. These lines could be repeated by
IceBridge for a longer time series.
Rene plans for 2011, they will have 3 aircraft 1 twin otter for logistics 1 for radar and lidar and 1 basler
for all of the other instruments. The will be flying for the Cryovex 2011 campaign April 11 to May 8 and
he showed a slid with the coverage.
Summer PROMICE flights will fly the perimeter of Greenland at about 1500 m for 2 weeks in August and
will fly SW coast in April 22-24, 2011 to avoid melt affecting the signal.
Ongoing IceGrav 2010/11 flights will continue and start mapping the Antarctic Peninsula starting in Feb
2011 then headed to Troll to complete a grid survey.
Questions:
Jonathon Bamber: Could you refly the NASA line from Devon ice cap from 2002.
Yes we will try if the weather is good
?? Do we need more gravity form the interior of Greenland?
Yes
Ken Jezek: do we need more gravity on the edges of Greenland since you have flown their already?
Yes the data is useful. There are limitations but it is useful.
Heinz Miller
-Polar research aircraft at AWI.
Heinz highlighted the Polar 5 a Basler aircraft AWI is operating. That can be equip with an EM system ,
Gravity, Riegl laser scanner, 150 MHz radar, Accumulation radar 900 MHz and ASIRAS. It has about
2000km range on the aircraft, with a lowest flight elevation of 32 m.
He showed a slide with map of AWI RES flights in Greenland. Most of flight are a grid out of NGrip and
then to the North East in general. They have also gone a lot of mapping in Dronning Maud land in
Antarctica with RES, Magnetics and gravity. Heinz showed how results from gravity in these regions
compared to GRACE results, highlighting the need for high resolution gravity.
AWI will be in Alert for the Cryovex campaign to take EM bird measurements. He presented a slide on
the ASIRAS system data with accuracies.
Dana Floricioiu
-TerraSar-X and TanDEM-X Missions.
The TerraSar-x and TanDEm-x missions utilize two satellites. The data are available to researches so
please contact Dana for data. Global acquisition of DEM’s has started. The focus on is on Pole to Coast
InSAR in Antarctica and the south pole hole above 80 deg.
They have started the velocity mapping on Recovery Glacier which is the first ice velocity field over
Recovery. The will also be getting left looking data for velocity mapping over the Ross sea sector ice
streams.
They have started making DEM’s. The DEM for Nimrod Glacier has been developed.
They have acquisition plans for Byrd Glacier.
Questions:
?? does processing of TanDEM X require ground measurements?
You can process them with or without ground measurements.
Ken Jezek: comment to thank DLR for the collaboration and noted the CSA will be collaborating with
RadarSat 2.