Snow falls in both winter and summer in Antarctica, which creates layers of snow each year. The radars can "see" these layers beneath the surface, and we can use that to determine how much snow fell each year.
The radars are pulled on a sled, imaging the ice beneath the surface all along the way. A few months ago Dr. Koenig, Clement, and Landon went to the University of Kansas to build the radar sled to make sure it would work in Antarctica. They took the sled apart and shipped the pieces to Antarctica. Landon and Clement put the sled back together again at WAIS Divide Camp, while the rest of us set up camp and organized gear. It's a lot harder than it looks to build in these cold conditions.
Left: Landon and Clement building the radar sled
Center: Landon and Dr. Rupper finishing the radar sled
Right: Radar sled completed and loaded with the radars (red box) and radar gear
There is something very unique about this sled - it rides on three snowboards. Pretty creative if you ask me.
Watch this video to see a little more of the sled and radars.
We've loved the last few posts. We're so proud of you for going to such an exciting place and doing really interesting, important science. Are you able to gage your results from the radar readings and core samples now, or will you need to wait to analyze the data back at BYU?
ReplyDeletep.s. Great camp names!