Ice-flow Features in the Grove Mountains Area Using SAR Data

The Grove Mountains area is a key study area in Chinese PANDA section of East Antarctica. Envisat ASAR images of 35 days interval were utilized to map the ice velocity in the Grove Mountains with DInSAR and offset-tracking methods. An ice velocity map of Grove Mountains displays complex motion features influenced by the widespread distribution of rocks and nunataks. We found two large ice streams bounding the Grove Mountains area, with a maximum velocity of 40 m/a. Some small ice streams flow between the nunataks in the area. GPS measurements and ice velocity MEaSUREs were applied to evaluate the accuracy, confirming the reliability of our results. Comparing winter ice velocities for the years 2006, 2007 and 2009, we detected no obvious interannual ice velocity changes in the Grove Mountains.