Zierke, Simon; Audehm, Jan; Do, Mia Giang; Espe, Clemens; Feldmann, Marco; Francke, Gero; Heinen, Dirk; Schöttler, Fabian; Wiebusch, Christopher (2026): Melting Performance Telemetry of the TRIPLE-IceCraft Melting Probe on the Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.995250 (DOI registration in progress)
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Published: 2026-06-08
Abstract:
This dataset contains operational telemetry recorded during the TRIPLE-IceCraft technical demonstration conducted in the 2023/2024 field season. The experiment was carried out near Neumayer Station III, approximately 1 km south of the edge of the Ekström Ice Shelf. During the campaign, the TRIPLE-IceCraft melting probe successfully drilled a vertical borehole to a final depth of 53 m. The IceCraft is equipped with an internal cable storage system that unspools the cable in a controlled manner during descent, ensuring a constant contact pressure on the melting surface. The controlled parameter is the tensile force acting on the cable, which is anchored to a surface crane. The probe features a forward melting head for downward melting, a rear melting head enabling upward re-melting during recovery, and side heater elements to prevent refreezing to the melt channel walls. The dataset provides time-resolved measurements of probe depth, feedrate, applied cable force, total electrical power consumption, and calculated front melting head power. The reported total power represents the combined electrical power of all onboard systems, including melting heads and side heaters, while the calculated melting head power corresponds exclusively to the forward melting head. These data document the temporal evolution of the melting process and the interaction between the probe and the surrounding ice under real conditions.
Related to:
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (2016): Neumayer III and Kohnen Station in Antarctica operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute. Journal of large-scale research facilities JLSRF, 2, A85, https://doi.org/10.17815/jlsrf-2-152
Heinen, Dirk; Audehm, Jan; Becker, Fabian; Boeck, Georg; Espe, Clemens; Feldmann, Marco; Francke, Gero; Friend, Pia; Haberberger, Niklas; Helbin, Klaus; Thanh Nghe, Chi; Stelzig, Michael; Vossiek, Martin; Wiebusch, Christopher; Zierke, Simon (2021): The TRIPLE Melting Probe - an Electro-Thermal Drill with a Forefield Reconnaissance System to Access Subglacial Lakes and Oceans, OCEANS 2021: San Diego - Porto, San Diego, CA, USA. 7 pp, https://doi.org/10.23919/OCEANS44145.2021.9705999
Funding:
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven (AWI), grant/award no. AWI_ANT_20: TripleIceCraft
Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), grant/award no. 50RK1955: TRIPLE-IceCraft - Entwicklung einer Schmelzsonde (GSI GmbH)
Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), grant/award no. 50RK1956: TRIPLE-IceCraft - Entwicklung einer Schmelzsonde (RWTH Aachen)
Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), grant/award no. 50RK2450A: TRIPLE-IceCraft-2 - Erforschung und Entwicklung einer Schmelzsonde (GSI GmbH)
Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), grant/award no. 50RK2450B: TRIPLE-IceCraft-2 - Erforschung und Entwicklung einer Schmelzsonde (RWTH Aachen)
Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), grant/award no. 50RK2450C: TRIPLE-IceCraft-2 - Erforschung und Entwicklung einer Schmelzsonde (HAW Hamburg)
Coverage:
Median Latitude: -70.612500 * Median Longitude: -8.230470 * South-bound Latitude: -70.650000 * West-bound Longitude: -8.250000 * North-bound Latitude: -70.575000 * East-bound Longitude: -8.210940
Date/Time Start: 2023-12-29T09:45:48 * Date/Time End: 2023-12-30T21:36:00
Minimum DEPTH, ice/snow: 0.00178 m * Maximum DEPTH, ice/snow: 53.13559 m
Event(s):
Neumayer (WMO89002) * Latitude: -70.650000 * Longitude: -8.250000 * Date/Time: 1993-01-01T00:00:00 * Elevation: 40.0 m * Location: Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica * Campaign: Neumayer_based * Basis: NEUMAYER III * Method/Device: Research station (RS)
Parameter(s):
| # | Name | Short Name | Unit | Principal Investigator | Method/Device | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DATE/TIME | Date/Time | Zierke, Simon | Geocode | ||
| 2 | DEPTH, ice/snow | Depth ice/snow | m | Zierke, Simon | Geocode | |
| 3 | Feedrate | Feedrate | m/h | Zierke, Simon | Melting probe | |
| 4 | Force | F | N | Zierke, Simon | Melting probe | |
| 5 | Power, total | Power tot | W | Zierke, Simon | Melting probe | |
| 6 | Power, melting head | Power melt head | W | Zierke, Simon | Melting probe |
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0)
Status:
Curation Level: Enhanced curation (CurationLevelC)
Size:
456216 data points
Download Data
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