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POLARPROG-Polarforskningsprogram

Dynamics of glacial channels, RiS ID 11423

Awarded: NOK 73,999

The project has the goal to investigate the dynamics of glacial channels with sensing drifters with the long-term goal of mapping geometry and physical conditions of subglacial environments. Three different prototype drifter platforms will be used to measure water flow inside supraglacial, englacial and subglacial channels. The platforms can measure water pressure, flow velocity, position, acceleration, magnetic field strength and rotation rate while flowing in the changing environment. Additional prototype platforms include iridium communication as well as low range radio modules to transfer location data and allow for easier recovery from the fjord. The first objective of the project is a detailed study of a supraglacial channel on Austre Brøggerbreen, collecting data about velocity, pressure and acceleration distribution, as well as geometrical measurements. These data will allow to ground-truth the reconstructions done with Bayesian hidden Markov models from the drifter data and give further inside into the physical processes governing the dynamic evolution of glacial channels. The second objective is a second investigation of the englacial tunnel in the frontal part of Austre Brøggerbreen. We mapped the channel with drifters in 2019 and successfully reconstructed it from the gathered data. The planned revisit will collect ground-truth data for a publication in preparation. The third objective is to measure the subglacial system of the tidewater glacier Kongsvegen. Moulins in the lower part allow to deploy drifters into the subglacial system and recovery is envisaged by Zodiac from the fjord. The successful deployment will, for the first time, give a full data transect through a subglacial system of a tidewater glacier including the full 3D flow path, and thus increase our understanding of the dynamic processes happening at the tidewater front of a glacier.

Funding scheme:

POLARPROG-Polarforskningsprogram