S2S : Snowfall to Surging ? The role of Snow-Firn-Ice Heat Transfer on Glacier Dynamics

Studying Svalbard's Heer Land region, our research confronts the uncertainties surrounding global glacier contributions to sea level rise, as highlighted in the 2023 IPCC report. Svalbard's unique vulnerability to climate change, positions it as an ideal study area with future implications for broader glaciated regions like Greenland and Antarctica. Heer Land's surge cluster, coupled with observations of increased frontal ablation, retreat, and substantial firn thickness, prompts crucial questions. Recent radar data reveals firn exceeding 20 meters, indicating a potential heating hotspot, challenging existing literature. Our primary objectives are: (i) Precipitation Trends: Determine if there's increased precipitation by surveying the accumulation area. (ii) Snow and Firn Dynamics: Analyze density, extent, temperatures, and heat transfer mechanisms within snow and firn. (iii) Heat Transfer Mechanisms: Quantify heat transfer from snow and firn to glacier ice Methodologies involve temperature loggers, firn core sampling, snow profiling, and permanent logger station. GPR surveys with 500 and 800 MHz frequencies reveal snow and firn cover spatially. Temperature sensors in snow and firn track local heat transfer, informing subsequent models addressing seasonal density evolution and heat transfer processes. The altered precipitation patterns in Svalbard contribute to broader climate trends, crucial for refining global climate models, predicting future scenarios, and guiding measures to mitigate glacier instabilities, impacting sea level rise from massive ice masses like Greenland and Antarctica.