Martina Schäfer on her first expedition at Svalbard. Photo: Malgorzata Blaszczyk

The group is doing measurements on different glaciers in the Hornsundbay area, mainly on the already well-studied Hansbreen glacier and on the difficultly accessible Paierlbreen glacier, on which Schäfer’s research project focuses. Schäfer joined the Polish team already last autumn in their expedition to Svalbard.

Schäfer’s part of the research consists in modeling the dynamics of the ice-flow of Paierlbreen glacier including occurring surge events and comparison between the surging Paierlbreen glacier and the non-surging adjacent Hansbreen glacier. The process of surging is an event where a glacier can move up to several hundreds of meters per day during a short period of time.

Schäfer’s is mostly involved in measurements done with two timelapse-cameras. The cameras are placed on rocks overlooking the glacier, and they are programmed to take pictures regularly, for example every three hours. The goal is to gather necessary data for the modeling work which aims in improving the understanding of the occurring surge events.

The research group will try to get the cameras’ memory cards back during the autumn if the sea conditions allow for it. There are several other risks also, for example camera malfunctions, bad weather, avalanches or polar bears playing with the cameras.

The expedition is part of the international PolarCLIMATE project “Sensitivity of Svalbard glaciers to climate change (SvalGlac)”. It is one of the six proposals implemented within the European Polar Board programme. It is financed by the national funding agencies and some polar ones, also outside of Europe, as partners.

You can follow the expedition on the internet from Martina Schäfer’s own website.

For more information, please contact:
Martina Schäfer, Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland, martina.schafer(at)ulapland.fi