Svalbard Research Experience for Undergraduates 2014: Tidewater glacier response to changes in fjord oceanography, Kongsfjorden, Svalbard

Evaluating glacial meltwater processes in areas that are sensitive to changes in climate, such as the High Arctic, establishes direct links between atmospheric and oceanographic trends and tidewater glacier responses. This study is part of the
Svalbard Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Summer 2014 program and examines subglacial discharge characteristics of the Kongsvegen and Kronebreen glaciers at the head of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. We look at the volume and discharge of
meltwater and the characteristics of sediment entering Kongsfjorden via two main outflow sites to determine their response to climate change and potential for future stability or collapse. Data were collected within 2km of the ice margin during peak
melt season. Salinity (conductivity), Temperature, and Depth (CTD) profiles were collected in transects along the ice face and within the turbid meltwater plumes using both a Sea-Bird SBE 19 CTD Profiler and SAIV A/S CTD/STD model SD204, each with an
attached optical backscatter (OBS) sensor to measure relative turbidity. Sediment concentrations and current velocities were also measured at different depths within the plumes to characterize the water column. Observations indicate a shift in the
dominant upwelling locations and greater variability in subglacial meltwater output from Kronebreen. However, sediment and meltwater volumes entering the fjord near Kongsvegen, where a new accumulation of sediment has aggraded above sea level, appear
to remain high.