posted on Aug, 19 2003 @ 08:13 AM
Would like to share some interesting technical paper references along with abstracts:
810223 ANTARCTICA -- GEOLOGY (C)
CAN GAS HYDRATES SOLVE THE MYSTERIES OF LAKE VOSTOK?; R.Anderson and B.Tohidi (Heriot Watt Univ) and S.Motaghi (Environ & Infrastruct Svcs). 4TH GAS
HYDRATES INT. CONF. [ICGH-4] (Yokohama, Japan, 5/19-23/2002) PROC. v.1, pp.245-250, 2002. (28 refs)
Buried beneath the Antarctic ice sheet for a period likely to be in excess of one million years, subglacial Lake Vostok is arguably one of the most
unique environments on Earth. The lake may contain organisms that have evolved independently of the outside world, adapting to a cold, dark
environment, with a limited supply of nutrients. The lake is of particular interest in its perceived similarity to the environment of Jupiter's Moon,
Europa. Europa's ice-covered surface may mask a liquid water ocean that could be home to living organisms, proving that life can exist on planets
other than Earth. Lake Vostok provides a unique opportunity for the testing of a prototype interplanetary probe destined for Europa, which could
ultimately reveal the presence of life outside Earth. However, technical difficulties, particularly relating to the dangers of contamination, have
resulted in increasing delays, meaning it may be years before an attempt at penetration into the lake becomes a reality. Here, an alternative approach
is proposed using current technology, which could reveal invaluable information about the lake and its environment, without requiring penetration.
Limited modelling studies support the presence of clathrates within Lake Vostok, and remnant hydrate structures have been identified in core samples
of lake ice accreted to the base of the overlying glacial ice sheet. Analysis and modelling of gases trapped within these clathrates could reveal
important information regarding the environment of the lake and the potential for life.
789348 ANTARCTICA -- GEOPHYSICS (C)
WAVELET BASED PROCESSING OF AIRBORNE RADAR DATA FROM EAST ANTARCTICA; M.Pipan, M.De Vecchi and E.Forte (Trieste Univ) and I.Tabacco (Milan Univ). 64TH
EAGE CONF. (Florence, Italy, 5/27-30/2002) EXTENDED ABSTR. v.1, pap. no.D-35, 2002. (ISBN 90-73781-20-5; 4 pp; 10 refs)
Wavelet transform-based noise attenuation techniques are applied to airborne radar data from the Vostok area (Antarctica). Comparison between Fourier,
polynomial, and wavelet-based denoising methods shows that the latter is more effective in wow effect removal and high frequency noise attenuation.
The analysis is performed with a Daubechies mother wavelet at the second level of decomposition. The proposed methods allow an average 3 dB signal to
noise ratio increment compared with the polynomial and Fourier ones. (Longer abstract available)