Author(s): J. A. Tuhtan; M. Kruusmaa; A. Alexander; J. F. Fuentes-Perez
Linked Author(s): Juan Francisco Fuentes Perez
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: High-resolution (1 – 10 m) observations of supraglacial streams are needed to improve process understanding and inform low-resolution (25 – 100 m) remote sensing observations and numerical models. To address this, we built small (0.25 m diameter) satellite positioning drifters. The devices recorded the surface flow velocity, linear acceleration and magnetic field intensity along a 250 m supraglacial channel during the summer ablation period from 30.06 to 04.07.2019 at Austre Broggerbreen, Svalbard. Cross correlation analysis was performed on channel-fitted coordinates. Multiscale change detection was carried out by increasing the averaging window of the time series data and the stream-wise spacing of the drifter’s planar coordinates. The locations of channel bends and step-risers were found to correspond to clearly defined changes in the streamwise cross correlations of the flow speed, magnetic field intensity magnitude and acceleration magnitude. The proposed drifter-based approach provides a simple method to collect and assess high-resolution satellite drifter data for multiscale planform change detection in supraglacial channels.
Year: 2020