These data contain ice velocity measurements obtained from seismic and GPS recordings during the 2010 and 2011 Antarctic field seasons.
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Whillans Ice Stream Stick-slip, Version 1
Geographic Coverage
Spatial Coverage: |
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Spatial Resolution: | Not Specified |
Temporal Coverage: |
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Temporal Resolution: | 15 second, 200 second to 500 second |
Parameter(s): |
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Platform(s) | GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS |
Sensor(s): | GPS, SEISMOGRAPHS |
Data Format(s): |
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Version: | V1 |
Data Contributor(s): | Paul Winberry, Sridhar Anandakrishnan, Doug Wiens, Richard Alley |
Metadata XML: | View Metadata Record |
Literature Citation
As a condition of using these data, we request that you acknowledge the author(s) of this data set by referencing the following peer-reviewed publication.
Pratt, M. J. et al. 2014. Evidence for Grounding Line Control of Whillans Ice Stream Stick–Slip Events from Seismic and Geodetic Observations, Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface. 119. 333-348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2013JF002842
Detailed Data Description
These data contain ice velocity measurements obtained from seismic and GPS recordings during the 2010 and 2011 Antarctic field seasons. The data are the processed GPS data of ice velocity movement from the 2010 and 2011 Antarctic field seasons. The raw seismic data for the same period are available on the IRIS DMC MetaData Aggregator site, and the raw GPS data can be found on the UNAVCO site. See Data Access for links.

Processed GPS data are provided in MATrix LABoratory (MATLAB) (.mat) format.
The processed GPS data are available on the FTP site in the ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/pub/DATASETS/AGDC/nsidc0632_winberry/ directory. This directory contains two files: WIS10.mat ( 2010 data) and WIS11.mat ( 2011 data).
The file naming convention used for the two MATLAB (.mat) files in this data set is described in Table 1.
Variable | Description |
---|---|
WIS | Whillans Ice Sheet |
## | Year data were collected |
WIS10.mat is 71.9 MB
WIS11.mat is 17.3 MB
The data set is 89.2 MB.
Southernmost Latitude: 84.75° S
Northernmost Latitude: 83.75° S
Westernmost Longitude: 165° W
Easternmost Longitude: 155° W
Spatial Resolution
Spatial resolution varies.
Data were collected from 1 Nov 2010 to 31 Dec 2011.
Temporal Resolution
GPS measurements were taken every 15 seconds.
The temporal resolution for the seismic readings ranges between 200-500 Hz (one cycle per second).
Ice Sheet Motion (m)
Seismic Sound Waves (m)
Sample Data Record
Each file contains seven fields. Refer to Table 2 for an explanation of the fields and Figure 2 for an example of the list.
Field | Description |
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t | Vector containing time (day of year), same length as n, e, and z fields |
x | vector conting "x" location of stations (Polar stereographic x in kilometers) |
y | vector containing "y" location of stations (Polar stereographic y in kilometers) |
e | matrix containing relative "east" displacement (m), one column per station |
n | matrix containing relative "north" displacement (m), one column per station |
z | matrix containing relative vertical displacement (m), one columne per station |

Refer to Figure 3 for an example of one of the data fields. The sample data are from the "e" field, showing the first seven stations' eastern displacement. When no data is available, the value equals Not a Number (NaN).

Software and Tools
The processed GPS files can be accessed using MATLAB software.
Data Acquisition and Processing
GPS data were collected with geodetic quality instruments provided by the UNAVCO instrument center, and the seismic data were collected with broadband seismic instruments provided by the IRIS PASSCAL instrument center.
Processing Steps
Processed GPS data were produced with the Track Software Package relative to the base station RAMG (Ramsey Glacier Station)
References and Related Publications
Contacts and Acknowledgments
Paul Winberry
Central Washington University
Department of Geological Sciences
400 E. University Way, MS 7418
Ellensberg, WA 98926 United States
Sridhar Anandakrishnan
Penn State
Department of Geosciences
0442 Deike Building University Park
University Park, PA 16802 United States
Doug Wiens
Washington University in St. Louis
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Campus Box 1169
1 Brookings Dr.
Saint Louis, MO 63130 United States
Richard Alley
Penn State
Department of Geosciences
517B Deike Building University Park
University Park, PA 16802 United States
This research was funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) grant number 0944794.
Document Information
DOCUMENT CREATION DATE
29 July 2014
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