Terrestrial Radar Observations of Sea Ice, Icebergs and Growlers in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard During the Period January-September 2018
Abstract
The dynamics of sea ice has a well recognized role in the climate system and its extent and evolution is impacted by the global warming. Calving of icebergs and growlers at the tidewater glacier fronts is a component of the mass loss in polar regions. Understanding of calving and ice-ocean interaction, in particular at tidewater glacier fronts remains elusive, and a problematic uncertainty in climate change projections. Studying the distribution, volumetry and motion of sea ice, icebergs and growlers is thus essential to understand their interactions with the environment in order to be able to predict at short term their drifts, e.g. to mitigate the risk for shipping, and at longer term the multiple relations with climate.
Here, we present the results from an arctic measurement campaign conducted in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. During the period from January to September 2018 we operated a terrestrial radar system, scanning the fjord every 15 minutes. This allows to observe dynamics of sea ice, icebergs and growlers, with an unprecedented temporal sampling, and over a period of 6 months. We observe the drift of icebergs and track growlers as they originate from the glaciers and we are able to track their paths. In addition, the winter season of 2018 was extraordinary since it was the first time in ca. 15 years that fast ice covered the fjord, although only for about a week. We organized a two-week field campaign in April 2018, where we performed coordinated observations of icebergs and ice edge conditions. We combined UAV photogrammetry, satellite SAR observations, and in-situ measurements by boat, where we located the ice edge, measured the size of icebergs and ice floes, and analysed the biochemical properties of the fjord water. Such information is essential to validate sensitivity and detection limits from the ground- and satellite-based measurements, and interpret our findings.- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.C31E1580L
- Keywords:
-
- 0750 Sea ice;
- CRYOSPHEREDE: 0758 Remote sensing;
- CRYOSPHEREDE: 1621 Cryospheric change;
- GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 4207 Arctic and Antarctic oceanography;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL