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Investigating the polar regions from the inside out

About

POLENET (The Polar Earth Observing Network) is a global network dedicated to observing the polar regions.  Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), POLENET utilizes geophysical observations to answer critical questions about ice sheet behavior in a warming world.

 

Antarctic Network: ANET

Led by Ohio State University, ANET is the Antarctic component of POLENET.  The project is primarily focused on collecting Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and seismic data from autonomous systems deployed at remote sites spanning much of the Antarctic ice sheets.  

One of the reasons ANET is unique and valuable is because it consists of both GNSS (which includes GPS) and seismic instrumentation.  This allows for a more complete understanding of the interactions between the ice sheets and the underlying bedrock.  GNSS stations record how the bedrock is moving in response to changes in ice mass.  However, the strength of the Earth’s interior also influences how the bedrock deforms.  Seismic stations record data that allows us to understand the properties of the Earth’s interior, like the strength of the crust and underlying mantle, giving us a more complete understanding of how the Earth is responding to changes in the ice sheets.  ANET uses improved technologies to record measurements year-round and to transmit data from remote sites to archives in the USA.

ANET PARTICIPANTS:
Ohio State University (lead)
Jet Propulsion Lab / Cal Tech
New Mexico Tech
Colorado State University
Penn State University
Central Washington University
Univ. of Memphis Univ. of Texas – Inst. For Geophysics
Washington University
U.S. Geological Survey

With facility support from:
EarthScope Consortium
Geodetic Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (GAGE)
Seismological Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (SAGE)


ANET Partner Project: UKANET
UKANET Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network

UKANET consists of 28 stations distributed along the Antarctic Peninsula and around the Weddell Sea. Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), instruments were originally installed between 2009 and 2016 under a range of NERC and NSF-funded projects.

Participants:
Durham University, United Kingdom
Newcastle University, United Kingdom
University of Leeds, United Kingdom
British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom


ANET Partner Project: CAPGIA
Glacial Isostatic Adjustment Constraints for the Antarctic Peninsula

Eight GPS receivers have been installed on bedrock in the southern Antarctic Peninsula for improvements in glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) model accuracy and GRACE-based ice mass change estimates.  These sites act as a regional densification of the ANET project.

Participants:
Newcastle University, United Kingdom


ANET Partner Project: VLNDEF
Victoria Land Network for DEFormation Control

VLNDEF consists of 28 GPS sites on bedrock in northern Victoria Land, led by Dr. Alessandro Capra of University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy and supported by Progetto Nazionale di Ricerca in Antartide (PNRA). VLNDEF largely consists of campaign-style (non-continuous) data collection, but also includes the continuously-operating GPS station at Mario Zuchelli Station and 4 remote GPS stations operating quasi-continuously.

Participants:
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy


ANET Partner Project: LARISSA
LARsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica

LARISSA is a multi-disciplinary NSF-funded study of the LARsen Ice Shelf System, Antarctica, led by Dr. Eugene Domack, Hamilton College, USA. In 2008-9 and 2010-11, 6 new continuous GPS systems were installed on bedrock to measure GIA in the region of the former Larsen B.

Participants:
Hamilton College, USA
Belgium-Ghent University, Belgium
Argentina-Argentine Antarctic Institute, Argentina
Ukraine-National Antarctic Scientific Center in Kiev, Ukraine
Korean Polar Research Institute, South Korea

Greenland Network: GNET

Originally led by Ohio State University's division of Geodetic Science, GNET is a network of 46 continuous GPS stations spread across Greenland. This network tracks the steady vertical velocity field associated with postglacial rebound and improve our understanding of ice mass changes in Greenland, allowing scientists to quickly detect and analyze any abrupt changes in the rate of ice loss in this region.

Long-Term Network

Seismic and geodetic measurements are being made at permanent research stations maintained by Antarctic Treaty nations, and by Arctic nations. Such sites provide invaluable long-term data sets that are integral to POLENET science objectives. In addition, many nations are deploying local arrays of instruments in relative proximity to research stations that densify measurements in many sectors of the continental-scale POLENET networks.