Utilising Wireless Sensor Technologies in Glaciology

Wireless sensors can be used to reveal subsurface processes in a variety of glacial environments. As the technology matures, so does the range of applications and their potential to reveal important processes out of the range of cabled monitoring solutions. We present results from firn monitoring experiments at the East Greenland Ice Core Project, and proof of concept trials for a deep borehole experiment. Small wireless sensors were deployed in the upper 20 m of firn which recorded temperature, pressure and electrical conductivity (as a proxy for melt) and transmitted to a local receiving station. The first experiment assessed firn conditions at the centre and at the margins of the North East Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS), and the second assessed surface snow beneath environmental control chambers which altered surface conditions in the centre of NEGIS. We aimed to mimic the impacts of climate warming and surface darkening using open top chambers and the addition of dust to the snow surface. The sensors revealed subsurface conditions within the firn that differed substantially from the surface, and highlighted the importance of solar radiation and surface reflectivity to the firnpack. The sensors have potential for wider scale monitoring, since they are low cost and require no connection to the surface, and can be combined with a variety of complementary instruments. Finally, we introduce proof of concept results from a new 'Cryoegg' project, which will deploy a wireless sensor to the bed of the Greenland ice sheet.