Downhole distributed acoustic seismic profiles at SkyTrain Ice Rise, West Antarctica, January 2020

A distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) experiment was undertaken at SkyTrain Ice Rise in the Weddell Sea Sector of West Antarctica. The aim was to evaluate the use of DAS technology using existing infrastructure and for delineating the englacial fabric to improve our understanding of ice sheet history in the region. Three walkaway profiles were acquired at 45 degree intervals using a hammer and plate source. Both direct and reflected P- and S-wave energy, as well as surface wave energy, are observed using a range of source offsets recorded using fibre optic cable. Significant noise results from the cable hanging untethered in the borehole. At greater depth, where drilling fluid is present, signal strength is sufficient to measure seismic interval velocities and attenuation.

Fieldwork was part of the BEAMISH Project (NERC AFI award numbers NE/G014159/1 and NE/G013187/1). John Michael Kendall was supported by additional funding from NERC award No. CASS-166. The Skytrain borehole and fibre optic cable are part of the University of Cambridge WACSWAIN Project (EU Horizon 2020 agreement No. 742224).

Alternate title: Polar Data Centre (PDC) record GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01458

Date (Publication): 2021-01-29

Citation identifier: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/dms/metadata.php?id= / GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01458

Point of contact

Organisation name	Individual name	Electronic mail address	Role
British Antarctic Survey		pdc@bas.ac.uk	Custodian
UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation	Brisbourne, A., & Kendall, M.	pdc@bas.ac.uk	Originator

Maintenance and update frequency: Unknown

Keywords

NDGO0001

NERC OAI Harvesting

NERC_DDC

GCMD Parameter Valids

EARTH SCIENCE > Cryosphere > Glaciers/Ice Sheets
EARTH SCIENCE > Cryosphere > Glaciers/Ice Sheets > Glacier Motion/Ice Sheet Motion

BAS Free-text keywords

Antarctica
Distributed acoustic sensing - DAS
Ice rise
Vertical Seismic Profile - VSP

Use limitation: This data is supplied under Open Government Licence v3.0 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/.

Access constraints: Other restrictions

Other constraints: This data is supplied under Open Government Licence v3.0 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/.

Language: English

Topic category

Environment
Geoscientific information

Begin date: 2020-01-24

End date: 2020-01-24

Reference system identifier: OGP / urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326

Distribution format

Distributor contact

Organisation name	Individual name	Electronic mail address	Role
Polar Data Centre - British Antarctic Survey		pdc@bas.ac.uk	Distributor

OnLine resource

Protocol	Linkage	Name
http		GET DATA

Hierarchy level: Dataset

Domain consistency

Measure identification: INSPIRE / Conformity_001

Conformance result

Title: INSPIRE Data Specification on unknown theme Guidelines

Date

Explanation: See the referenced specification

Pass: No

Statement: The fibre optic cable is deployed in an open borehole with drilling fluid in the lower half (approximately). The cable is not frozen-in to the hole or to the wall of the hole. The signal in the upper half, which hangs in air, is therefore dominated by harmonic noise and weak coupling. Signal from the lower half, which sits in the drilling fluid, is stronger and noise levels are lower.