The LOSUMEA project, led by the CRYOS laboratory at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, investigates the processes controlling snow deposition and the surface mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

The project aims to clarify the relationship between precipitation, drifting and blowing snow, and ice formation in East Antarctica. Understanding these processes is essential for improving knowledge of how snow accumulates and evolves once deposited on the ice sheet.

As part of the project, monitoring equipment was maintained at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica and at Japan’s Showa Station to collect observations of snow-related processes. These measurements contribute to a better understanding of snow accumulation and the factors influencing the surface mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.