Current status and future prospects for the Antarctic geodetic datum construction

Wang, Zemin and Zhang, Xiaohong and Zhang, Baojun and Zhang, Shengkai and Yang, Yuande and Ke, Hao (2026) Current status and future prospects for the Antarctic geodetic datum construction. Advances in Polar Science, 37 (1). pp. 13-23.

[img]
Preview
PDF - Published Version
Download (788kB) | Preview

Abstract

The Antarctic geodetic datum constitutes a specialized implementation of the modern geodetic reference system within the extreme polar environment. A high-precision, unified, and dynamic Antarctic geodetic datum serves as critical infrastructure for polar scientific research and engineering safety. This study reviews the composition, current status, and implementation pathways of the Antarctic geodetic datum through four dimensions: coordinate datum, height datum, gravity datum and sounding datum. Preliminary analysis reveals that the development of the Antarctic geodetic datum framework is severely lagging, thereby failing to meet the demands of both scientific expeditions and polar research. To address these challenges, this study proposes an implementation pathway leveraging the 5th International Polar Year (IPY-5) to pioneer regional high-precision geodetic datum in the China’s key research sector covering the area between Amery Ice Shelf and Princess Elizabeth Land, specially highlighting the Prydz Bay–Amery Ice Shelf–Lambert Glacier–Dome A (PANDA) transect, by deploying multi-technique stations and μGal-level superconducting gravimeter networks; and then to integrate multinational observation resources to ultimately establish a high-precision, unified, and dynamic geodetic datum framework. This framework will deliver a spatiotemporal infrastructure for Antarctica to advance the strategic goals of “understanding, protecting, and utilizing Antarctica”.

Item Type: Article
Related URLs:
    Keywords: Antarctica, coordinate datum, elevation datum, gravity datum, depth datum, IPY-5
    Subjects: Peoples, Cultures and Societies > Media
    Research and Education > Databases
    Organizations: Advances in Polar Science (APS)
    Date Deposited: 24 Apr 2026 09:30
    URI: https://library.arcticportal.org/id/eprint/2957

    Actions (login required)

    View Item View Item