We present the results of two ground-based radio-echo-sounding（RES） and GPS surveys performed in the vicinity of new Chinese Taishan station,Princess Elizabeth Land,East Antarctica,obtained in two austral summers during CHINARE 21（2004/2005） and CHINARE 29（2012/2013）.The radar surveys measured ice thickness and internal layers using 60- and 150-MHz radar systems,and GPS measurements showed smooth surface slopes around the station with altitudes of 2607-2636 m above sea level（a.s.l.）.Radar profiles indicate an average ice thickness of 1900 m,with a maximum of 1949 m and a minimum of 1856 m,within a square area measuring approximately 2 km × 2 km in the vicinity of the station.The ice thickness beneath the station site is 1870 m.The subglacial landscape beneath the station is quiet sharp and ranges from 662 to 770 m a.s.l.,revealing part of a mountainous topography.The ice volume in the grid is estimated to be 7.6 km^3.Along a 60-MHz radar profile with a length of 17.6 km at the region covering the station site,some disturbed internal layers are identified and traced;the geometry of internal layers within the englacial stratigraphy may imply a complex depositional process in the area.
As fundamental parameters of the Antarctic Ice Sheet,ice thickness and subglacial topography are critical factors for studying the basal conditions and mass balance in Antarctica.During CHINARE 24（the 24 th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition,2007/08）,the research team used a deep ice-penetrating radar system to measure the ice thickness and subglacial topography of the ＂Chinese Wall＂ around Kunlun Station,East Antarctica.Preliminary results show that the ice thickness varies mostly from 1600 m to 2800 m along the ＂Chinese Wall＂,with the thickest ice being 3444 m,and the thinnest ice 1255 m.The average bedrock elevation is 1722 m,while the minimum is just 604 m.Compared with the northern side of the ice divide,the ice thickness is a little greater and the subglacial topography lower on the southern side,which is also characterized by four deep valleys.We found no basal freeze-on ice in the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains area,subglacial lakes,or water bodies along the ＂Chinese Wall＂.Ice thickness and subglacial topography data extracted from the Bedmap 2 database along the ＂Chinese Wall＂ are consistent with our results,but their resolution and accuracy are very limited in areas where the bedrock fluctuates intensely.The distribution of ice thickness and subglacial topography detected by ice-penetrating radar clarifies the features of the ice sheet in this ＂inaccessible＂ region.These results will help to advance the study of ice sheet dynamics and the determination of future locations of the GSM＇s geological and deep ice core drilling sites in the Dome A region.
