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Ohio State School of Earth Sciences

 

POLENET

The Polar Earth Observatory Network, or POLENET, is a recently proposed GPS/Seismic network, aimed at observing the Antarctic glaciologic and geologic system using a multidisciplinary and internationally-coordinated approach. An observatory-style backbone network of 18 co-located, continuously-recording GPS and broadband seismic sites across West Antarctica, as well as a 2-3 year GPS and seismic “IPY-only” deployment has been proposed (figure 1). The co-location of GPS and seismic sensors provides important science synergies and significant logistical advantages. Cooperation of the GPS and seismic PIs, UNAVCO, and IRIS will allow development and deployment of the next-generation power and communication systems optimized for remote deployments in extreme environments.

In order to refine estimates of recent ice mass change of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, we will measure isostatic rebound with GPS, constrain mantle rheology through seismic studies, and dramatically improve continental-scale rebound model predictions used to correct ice mass trends derived from satellite altimetry and time-varying gravity. Both the viscoelastic and elastic response from mass change can be modeled from continuous GPS measurements, allowing for better estimates of Antarctica’s contribution to global sea level change. Seismological investigations, integrated with results from the geodetic studies, will provide first-order constraints on geological/tectonic parameters important for understanding ice sheet dynamics in West Antarctica. New seismic data will be used to develop high-resolution seismic tomographic images, seismic receiver functions will be used to map the sediment thickness distribution beneath the ice sheet, and recordings of glacial earthquakes will help to constrain short-term slip events that are important for understanding ice sheet dynamics.

 

Figure 1. POLENET GPS and seismic site location map. Blue dots are backbone GPS sites, yellow dots are backbone seismic sites, red dots are both GPS and seismic backbone sites, green dots are “IPY only”
GPS sites, orange dots are “IPY only” seismic sites, and purple dots are GPS and/or seismic sites proposed or operated by international collaborators in the POLENET consortium.

 

POLENET website