Arctic data, deep insights
78°07′40″N 16°49′19″E / 78.128°N 16.822°E
Knut Ivar Lindland Tveit and Steffen Ringsø Nielsen recently took an sTEM with a profiler rig to Svalbard, Norway, where the Arctic and the Atlantic oceans meet.
As part of an Arctic Geophysics field campaign on the Drønbreen glacier, they conducted TEM soundings to investigate the presence of unfrozen groundwater beneath and in front of the glacier. TEM data was collected in parallel with Ground Penetrating Radar surveys to deepen the understanding of thermally complex Arctic glaciers, key indicators of climate change.
The work took place as part of the Glaciology course AG-325/825 at the University Centre in Svalbard. The course leverages the unique opportunities presented by Svalbard, to gain a better understanding of the characteristics, dynamics, and likely fate of contemporary Arctic glaciers. The research undertaken in Svalbard has developed an understanding of thermally complex Arctic glaciers and how climate change has strongly influenced this complexity.
Its great to see our instruments helping researchers unlock new knowledge in one of the planet’s most extreme environments.
More about UNIS in the Svalbard Science Centre
UNIS is the core institution of the Svalbard Science Centre, an international Arctic centre of expertise in research and education, which also incorporates other professional and scientific institutions in Svalbard, such as the Norwegian Polar Institute, EISCAT, and Svalbard Science Forum.
The 12,000 square meter Svalbard Science Centre, inaugurated in April 2006, is a modern building with optimal conditions for education and research linked to Arctic nature. The Svalbard Science Centre also houses Svalbard Museum, the Norwegian Polar Institute‘s Svalbard office, SIOS, and Svalbard Science Forum, and is a centre of competence for Arctic research, teaching, and logistics.
