The EPFL-CRYOS project, led by the cryospheric sciences laboratory at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), investigates the processes that shape snow and ice in polar regions. Since 2016, scientists from EPFL have conducted research in the vicinity of Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, focusing on snow cover processes and snow-atmosphere interactions.

The project aims to improve understanding of the complex exchanges between snow, ice and the atmosphere, including snow transport, sublimation and energy fluxes, which are important components of the Antarctic surface mass balance.

To collect long-term observations, EPFL operates automatic weather stations near Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. These year-round measurements provide data on meteorological conditions and snow processes, helping to improve the representation of snow transport and sublimation in models of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

During field campaigns, the project also deploys specialised instruments to study blowing snow and heat exchange between the snow surface and the atmosphere. The collected observations contribute to improving models of Antarctic snow and ice evolution and to a better understanding of how the surface mass balance of the ice sheet may change in the future.