Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR):
Seeing Below the Surface While Keeping Scientists Safe
Overview
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a valuable technology that utilizes waves of low frequency electromagnetic radiation to help polar scientists understand what is beneath their feet! Using real field data from the Icelandic glacier Múlajökull, along with a small selection of short videos and web-based resources
Here is a great interview with Dr. Iverson on Iowa Public Radio. He gives an excellent overview of the research, why he has chosen Mulajokull as a location, and the significance of understanding glacial mechanics and movement in light of global climate change.
This article and associated video describe the findings of researchers who undertook core drilling at Lake El’gygytgyn, a lake that sits today inside a basin formed by a meteorite that struck the earth 3.6 million years ago. An associated video allows us to hear the enthusiasm and details as researcher Julie Brigham-Grette describes the findings of this remarkable discovery.
The sediment in Lake El'gygytgyn, (pronounced EL-ge-GIT-gin) located in NE Siberia, holds one of the longest records of climate change anywhere in the continental Arctic. How does sediment (clay and mud) tell us something about past climate? Proxy data! By studying the microfossils of diatoms and pollen in the sediment, we can re-construct the lake environment millions of
Lake El'gygytgyn (also called, Lake E) permafrost drilling started in mid-November of 2008. The ICDP (International Continental Drilling Program) is posting news reports and images to this blog several times each week. Check out early reports from Lake E.