Abstract
Stationary ice-penetrating radar (sIPR) systems can be used to monitor
temporal changes in electromagnetically sensitive properties of glaciers
and ice sheets. We describe a system intended for autonomous operation
in remote glacial environments, and document its performance during
deployments in cold and temperate settings. The design is patterned
after an existing impulse radar system, with the addition of a
fibre-optic link and timing module to control transmitter pulses, a
micro-UPS (uninterruptable power supply) to prevent uncontrolled system
shutdown and a customized satellite telemetry scheme. Various
implementations of the sIPR were deployed on the Kaskawulsh Glacier near
an ice-marginal lake in Yukon, Canada, for 44–77 days in summers 2014,
2015 and 2017. Pronounced perturbations to englacial radiostratigraphy
were observed commensurate with lake filling and drainage, and are
interpreted as changes in englacial water storage. Another sIPR was
deployed in 2015–2016 on ice island PII-A-1-f, which originated from the
Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland. This system operated
autonomously for almost a year during which changes in thickness of the
ice column were clearly detected.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Annals of Glaciology |
Volume | First View |
Early online date | 17 Feb 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 17 Feb 2020 |
Keywords
- Arctic glaciology
- Glacier hydrology
- Glacier monitoring
- Glaciological instruments and methods
- Radio-echo sounding