During the expedition the group is going to do measurements on the well-studied Hansbreen glacier and explore Paierlbreen glacier. The aim of the research on Paierlbreen is to understand better the process of surge motivated by aiming to understand better how glaciers reflect climate, climate change and future sea-level change.

The process of surging (a short event, where a glacier can move up to several hundreds of meters per day) associated with severe crevassing and associated intense calving (iceberg break up) is not yet well understood and an important process to understand the past and predict the future of glaciers.

Schäfer’s part of the research consists in modelling the dynamics of the glacier including occurring surge events. This first glacier recognition expedition is the occasion to determine the necessary, but also feasible field observations.

The expedition is part of the international PolarCLIMATE project “Sensitivity of Svalbard glaciers to climate change (SvalGlac)” funded by The European Science Foundation (ESF).

You can follow the expedition on internet from the Arctic Centre’s Facebook and from Martina Schäfer’s own website.

For more information:
Martina Schäfer, martina.schafer(at)ulapland.fi

AK/JL, LaY/SV