UKANET
UKANET
GNSS NETWORK
The UKANET Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network consists of 28 stations distributed along the Antarctic Peninsula and around the Weddell Sea. Instruments were originally installed between 2009 and 2016 under a range of NERC and NSF-funded projects and they have now been taken on by the UKANET project. The extended time series will increase the accuracy of the rebound measurements and allow us to better understand the response of the solid Earth to ongoing ice sheet changes.
During the 2014/2015 season, an additional six temporary GNSS stations were deployed in the northern Antarctic Peninsula, close to the former Larsen B ice shelf. This is an area where there is the potential for a space-based technique called radar interferometry to provide denser measurements of uplift, and the temporary GNSS network helps correct these measurements for noise from the atmosphere.
EQUIPMENT
To measure the motion of the solid Earth the GNSS stations must be located on rock outcrops. The GNSS stations are comprised of either a Trimble NetRS, Trimble NetR9, or Xeos Resolute GNSS receiver powered by solar panels, with energy managed by UNAVCO or BAS-developed power systems. The majority of the sites are equipped with Xeos iridium systems allowing us to monitor the state of health of the stations and transmit data in near-real-time.
The UKANET GNSS data can be accessed at the UNAVCO data page - click here