Dynamics of glacial channels, RiS ID 11423

The project has the goal to investigate the dynamics of glacial channels with sensing drifters. 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. One platform has an additional low range radio module to transfer data wirelessly over larger distances and allow for easier recovery. The first objective of the project is a detailed study of a supraglacial channel on Midtre Lovénbreen will allow to assess the velocity, pressure and acceleration distribution along the channel and compare it to channel hydraulics derived from geometrical measurements. Further on a time series will be established to test if the melt rate estimation from the drifter platforms are accurate. The second objective is a second investigation of the englacial tunnel in the frontal part of Austre Brøggerbreen. This approximately 600 m long tunnel was described in the literature earlier and drifters were successfully deployed through the tunnel during fieldwork in summer 2019. Additional drifters will be deployed in summer 2020 to measure how geometries and flow conditions changed over one year, thus allowing additional insights into the dynamics of this system. 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 and thus increase our understanding of the dynamic processes happening at the tidewater front of a glacier.