GPR and GPS Data: Characteristics of Snow Megadunes and their Potential Effects on Ice Core Interpretation  View Catalog Page
Identification Information:
Dataset Identifier:
NSIDC-0282
Citation:
Citation Information:
Originator: Ted Scambos
Publication Date: 20060610
Title: GPR and GPS Data: Characteristics of Snow Megadunes and their Potential Effects on Ice Core Interpretation
Publication Information:
Publication Place: Boulder, Colorado USA
Publisher: NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center
Online Linkage: http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0282.html
Online Linkage: http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N5Q23X5F
Description:
Abstract:
The Antarctic megadune research was conducted during two field seasons, one in November 2002 and the other in December 2003 through January 2004. The megadune field site is located on the East Antarctic Plateau, southeast of Vostok station. The objectives of this multi-facetted research are to determine the physical characteristics of the firn across the dunes including typical climate indicators such as stable isotopes and major chemical species and to install instruments to measure the time variation of near-surface wind and temperature with depth, to test and refine hypotheses for megadune formation. It is important to improve our current understanding of the megadunes because of their extreme nature, their broad extent, and their potential impact on the climate record. Megadunes are a manifestation of an extreme terrestrial climate and may provide insight on past terrestrial climate or on processes active on other planets.
Snow megadunes are undulating variations in accumulation and surface texture with wavelengths of 2 to 5 km and amplitudes up to 5 meters. The features cover 500,000 km2 of the East Antarctic plateau, occurring in areas of moderate regional slope and low accumulation on the flanks of the ice sheet between 2500 and 3800 meters elevation. Landsat images and aerial photography indicate the dunes consist of alternating surfaces of glaze and rough sastrugi, with gradational boundaries. This pattern is oriented perpendicular to the mean wind direction, as modeled in katabatic wind studies. Glaze surfaces cover the leeward faces and troughs; rough sastrugi cover the windward faces and crests. The megadune pattern is crossed by smooth to eroded wind-parallel longitudinal dunes. Wind-eroded longitudinal dunes form spectacular 1-meter-high sastrugi in nearby areas.
This data set contains ground penetrating radar (GPR) data showing surface morphology and internal layering structure along with global positioning system (GPS) data collected within an area of 60 km2. GPS data are provided in space-delimited ASCII text Microsoft Excel formats, while GPR data are in JPEG format. Data are available via FTP.
Purpose: scientific research
Documentation:
User's Guide:
Citation Information:
Originator: Ted Scambos
Publication Date: 20060610
Title: GPR and GPS Data: Characteristics of Snow Megadunes and their Potential Effects on Ice Core Interpretation
Publication Information:
Publication Place: Boulder, Colorado USA
Publisher: NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center
Online Linkage: http://nsidc.org/data/docs/agdc/nsidc0282_scambos/index.html
Time Period of Content:
Time Period Information:
Range of Dates/Times:
Beginning Date: 20021205
Ending Date: 20040107
Currentness Reference: publication date
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency: Unknown
Spatial Domain:
Bounding Coordinates:
West Bounding Coordinate: 124.0218°
East Bounding Coordinate: 126.0302°
North Bounding Coordinate: -80.5304°
South Bounding Coordinate: -80.7802°
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme Keyword Thesaurus: NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
Theme Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE Cryosphere Glaciers/Ice Sheets Firn
Theme Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE Cryosphere Glaciers/Ice Sheets Ice Sheets
Theme Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE Cryosphere Snow/Ice Snow Stratigraphy Internal Layering
Theme Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE Land Surface Geomorphology Glacial Landforms/Processes
Theme Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE Terrestrial Hydrosphere Snow/Ice Snow Stratigraphy
Theme:
Theme Keyword Thesaurus: None
Theme Keyword:
Theme:
Theme Keyword Thesaurus: NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
Theme Keyword: GPR Ground Penetrating Radar
Theme Keyword: GPS Global Positioning System
Theme:
Theme Keyword Thesaurus: NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords
Theme Keyword: GPS Global Positioning System Satellites
Theme Keyword: GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS
Theme:
Theme Keyword Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Categories
Theme Keyword: climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
Theme:
Theme Keyword Thesaurus: None
Theme Keyword: AGDC
Theme Keyword: Antarctica
Theme Keyword: East Antarctic Plateau
Theme Keyword: Glaciology
Theme Keyword: GPS
Theme Keyword: GPS data
Theme Keyword: internal layering
Theme Keyword: Megadunes
Theme Keyword: Paleoenvironments
Theme Keyword: Radar
Theme Keyword: Surface Morphology
Theme Keyword: Surface Winds
Place:
Place Keyword Thesaurus: NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
Place Keyword: Continent Antarctica East Antarctic Plateau
Access Constraints:
None
Use Constraints:
None
Point of Contact:
Contact Information:
Contact Person Primary:
Contact Person: NSIDC User Services
Contact Organization: National Snow and Ice Data Center
Contact Address:
Address Type: mailing
Address:
- CIRES, 449 UCB
- University of Colorado
City: Boulder
State or Province: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
Contact Voice Telephone: 1 303 492-6199 x
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 1 303 492-2468 x
Contact Electronic Mail Address: nsidc@nsidc.org
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Distribution Information:
Distributor:
Contact Information:
Contact Organization Primary:
Contact Organization: National Snow and Ice Data Center
Contact Person: NSIDC User Services
Contact Address:
Address Type: mailing
Address:
- National Snow and Ice Data Center
- CIRES, 449 UCB
- University of Colorado
City: Boulder
State or Province: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
Contact Voice Telephone: 1 303 492-6199
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 1 303 492-2468
Contact Electronic Mail Address: nsidc@nsidc.org
Resource Description:
NSIDC-0282
Distribution Liability:
NSIDC cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NSIDC makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
Standard Order Process:
Digital Form:
Digital Transfer Information:
Format Name: JPEG
Digital Transfer Option:
Online Option:
Computer Contact Information:
Network Address:
Network Resource Name: Click here.
Fees: None
Standard Order Process:
Digital Form:
Digital Transfer Information:
Format Name: ASCII Text
Digital Transfer Option:
Online Option:
Computer Contact Information:
Network Address:
Network Resource Name: Click here.
Fees: None
Standard Order Process:
Digital Form:
Digital Transfer Information:
Format Name: Microsoft Excel
Digital Transfer Option:
Online Option:
Computer Contact Information:
Network Address:
Network Resource Name: Click here.
Fees: None
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Metadata Reference Information:
Metadata Date:
20130318
Metadata Review Date:
20130318
Metadata Contact:
Contact Information:
Contact Person Primary:
Contact Person: NSIDC User Services
Contact Organization: National Snow and Ice Data Center
Contact Address:
Address Type: mailing
Address:
- National Snow and Ice Data Center
- CIRES, 449 UCB
- University of Colorado
City: Boulder
State or Province: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
Contact Voice Telephone: 1 303 492-6199
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 1 303 492-2468
Contact Electronic Mail Address: nsidc@nsidc.org
Metadata Standard Name:
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata:
Extensions for Remote Sensing Metadata
Metadata Standard Version:
FGDC-STD-012-2002
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