ICEGIANT installed GNSS and seismic sensors in the David-Drygalski glacier system to monitor ice motion and seismic activity.
The David-Drygalski glacial system is one of the major drainage systems in Northern Victoria Land and represents a key sector for understanding ice dynamics in East Antarctica. David Glacier channels ice flow towards the floating Drygalski Ice Tongue, a glacier tongue approximately 140 km long extending into the Ross Sea and interacting with local ocean circulation and the Terra Nova Bay polynya.
ICEGIANT was designed to acquire new quantitative data in an area that is still poorly monitored through continuous and integrated observations. The project aims to measure variations in glacier flow at daily, fortnightly, seasonal and interannual time scales, with particular attention to tidal forcing, changes in ice velocity and possible seismicity associated with ice dynamics.
The project combines field-based measurements and satellite observations. GNSS stations provide three-dimensional time series of glacier surface motion; broadband seismic stations record signals associated with local seismicity and glacial processes; SAR satellite imagery extends the point-based ground observations to a broader spatial interpretation.
The collected data will contribute to improving our understanding of the David-Drygalski system and will provide an observational benchmark for future comparisons and for interpreting ongoing changes in the Antarctic environment.
Our project at a glance
Mario Zucchelli Station
Geodetic Laboratory at Mario Zucchelli Station
At the tip of the tongue
