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Chinese scientists have successfully conducted an ice cap detection experiment in Antarctica using a domestically developed ultra-wideband hyperspectral microwave radiometer, as reported by China’s 41st Antarctic expedition team.
The team carried out joint air-ground experiments with helicopters and snowmobiles, successfully performing remote sensing detection of temperature distribution beneath the Antarctic ice.
Zhu Di, a researcher at the National Space Science Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained that the melting of the Antarctic ice cap often begins from the bottom.
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However, traditional methods of detecting subglacial temperatures are costly and challenging.
The new technology detects weak microwave radiation from within the Antarctic ice sheet, enabling the mapping of temperature distribution from the ice surface down to depths of up to 4,000 meters.
This breakthrough could provide crucial data for research on polar ice sheet melting, subglacial lake evolution, water systems, and changes in sea levels, Zhu added.
