Fhe application of electromagnetic-induction on the measurement of sea ice thickness in the Antarctic

As an important component of the cryosphere, sea ice is very sensitive to climate change. The study of sea ice physics needs accurate sea ice thickness. This paper presents an electromagnetic induction （EM） technique which can be used to measure the sea ice thickness distribution efficiently and its successful application in the Antarctic Neila Fjord. Based on the electrical properties of sea ice and seawater and the application of electromagnetic field theory, this technique can accurately detect the distance between the EM instrument and the ice/water interface to measure the sea ice thickness. Analyzing the apparent conductivity data obtained by the electromagnetic induction technique and drill-hole measurements at same location allows the construction of a transform equation for the apparent conductivity and sea ice thickness. The verification of the calculated sea ice thickness using this equation indicates that the electromagnetic induction technique is able to determine reliable sea ice thickness with an average relative error of only 5.5%. The ice thickness profiles show the sea ice distribution in Neila Fjord is basically level with a thickness of 0.8 - 1.4 m.

The application of electromagnetic-induction on the measurement of sea ice thickness in the Antarctic

As an important component of the cryosphere, sea ice is very sensitive to climate change. The study of sea ice physics needs accurate sea ice thickness. This paper presents an electromagnetic induction (EM) technique which can be used to measure the sea ice thickness distribution efficiently and its successful application in the Antarctic Neila Fjord. Based on the electrical properties of sea ice and seawater and the application of electromagnetic field theory, this technique can accurately detect the distance between the EM instrument and the ice/water interface to measure the sea ice thickness. Analyzing the apparent conductivity data obtained by the electromagnetic induction technique and drill-hole measurements at same location allows the construction of a transform equation for the apparent conductivity and sea ice thickness. The verification of the calculated sea ice thickness using this equation indicates that the electromagnetic induction technique is able to determine reliable sea ice thickness with an average relative error of only 5.5%. The ice thickness profi les show the sea ice distribution in Neila Fjord is basically level with a thickness of 0.8–1.4 m. This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40476005 and 40233032), the Ministry of Science and Technology, China (Grant No. 2005DIB3J114), and the “863 Project” (Grant No. 2006AA04Z206 and 2006AA09Z152). Guo Jingxue, graduated from the College of GeoExploration Science and Technology of Jilin University in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree. Now he is a PhD candidate in the College of GeoExploration Science and Technology of Jilin University with a major in applied geophysics. He is mainly engaged in research on sea ice and climate change, specializing in measuring the physical characteristics of sea ice with geophysical methods.