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Characterizing South Pole Firn Structure With Fiber Optic Sensing

Description: 

The firn layer covers approximately 99% of Antarctica’s ice sheets and critically protects glacial ice from the external environment. Its accurate physical and geophysical characterization is thus crucial for understanding ice sheet evolution, including issues critical to glacial mass balance and the effects of climate change. Our study utilizes Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology to transform an 8-km fiber-optic cable between the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and the QSPA Global Seismographic Network station into a dense, low-maintenance, and continuously interrogated seismic array. With its 1 m spatial and 1000 Hz temporal resolution, this array successfully resolves a significant number of seismic wave propagation modes, providing detailed insights into both P and S wave velocities with depth. Comparing our data with the South Pole Ice Core, we have formulated a more precise, East Antarctica-specific empirical relation, significantly enhancing firn density estimations in the region. In addition to isotropic structures, we employ co-located geophones to also resolve the firn's anisotropic structure. Moreover, continuous year-round DAS monitoring enables the investigation of temporal firn variations. Our results underscore the transformative potential of DAS technology in glaciology and firn analysis, providing new insights into ice sheet seismology.

Session: Advancing Seismology with Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing - I

Type: Oral

Date: 5/3/2024

Presentation Time: 08:30 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Yan

Student Presenter: Yes

Invited Presentation: 

Authors