From March 9 to March 16, 2026, the team conducted a scientific field campaign in the Babao River and Binggou catchments of the Qilian Mountains, focusing on river-ice development and thickness detection.

The main tasks were river-ice sampling, thickness measurements, and experiments with UAV-mounted ground-penetrating radar. At several representative observation sites, the team cut into the river ice, collected samples, and measured ice thickness, establishing a set of ground observations.

The team also flew UAV-mounted ground-penetrating radar along predefined flight lines to collect radar reflections revealing ice thickness and internal structure. This enabled efficient, nondestructive surveys over a wider area and complemented manual measurements.

The campaign was completed successfully, yielding river-ice thickness measurements, samples, and radar data for the study catchments. These observations provide a foundation for analyzing the development of different river-ice forms and improving the river-ice observation system.