Articles | Volume 17, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1089-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1089-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Brief communication: New sonde to unravel the mystery of polar subglacial lakes
Youhong Sun
Polar Research Center, Jilin University, Changchun, China
School of Engineering and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
Bing Li
School of Engineering and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
Xiaopeng Fan
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Polar Research Center, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Yuansheng Li
Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, China
Guopin Li
Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology, National
Astronomical Observatories, CAS, Nanjing, China
Haibin Yu
College of Electronics and Information, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou,
China
Hongzhi Li
National Ocean Technology Center, Tianjin, China
Dongliang Wang
Aerospace System Engineering Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Nan Zhang
Polar Research Center, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Da Gong
Polar Research Center, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Rusheng Wang
Polar Research Center, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Yazhou Li
School of Engineering and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
Polar Research Center, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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We describe a new drill for glaciers and ice sheets. Instead of drilling down into the ice via mechanical action, our drill melts its way down into the ice. Our goal is simply to pull a cable of temperature sensors on a one-way trip down to the ice-bed interface. Under laboratory conditions, our melt-tip drill has an efficiency of ~35% against a theoretical maximum penetration rate of ~12 m/hr. Under field condition, our efficiency is just ~15 %. Clearly room for improvement!
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It is important to understand atmospheric chemistry over Antarctica under a changing climate. Thus snow collected on a traverse from the coast to Dome A was used to investigate variations in snow chemistry. The non-sea-salt fractions of K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ are associated with terrestrial inputs, and nssCl− is from HCl. In general, proportions of non-sea-salt fractions of ions to the totals are higher in the interior areas than on the coast, and the proportions are higher in summer than in winter.
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The deposition and preservation of NO3− across East Antarctica was investigated. On the coast, dry deposition contributes 27–44 % of the NO3− fluxes, and the linear relationship between NO3− and snow accumulation rate suggests a homogeneity of atmospheric NO3− levels. In inland snow, a relatively weak correlation between NO3− and snow accumulation was found, indicating that NO3− is mainly dominated by post-depositional processes. The coexisting ions are generally less influential on snow NO3−.
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Short summary
The discovery of polar subglacial lakes, rivers and streams has opened a new frontier of science within a short span. We present a new environmentally friendly approach to study subglacial reservoirs based on the concept of freezing-in instrumented probes carrying a tethering power-signal cable. In January 2022, the probe was successfully tested in East Antarctica: it reached the base of the ice sheet and returned to the ice surface with samples of melted water from the basal ice.
The discovery of polar subglacial lakes, rivers and streams has opened a new frontier of science...