Self-potential measurements on the Sorsdal Glacier 2018

The Self-Potential method is a passive geo-electrical technique, used to delineating, monitoring, and quantifying the flow of water in the near surface layer by exploiting the presence of naturally-occurring electrical potentials in the subsurface. Pore waters generally have an excess of electrical charge due to the electrical double layer at the interface between the solid matrix (in this case snow grains) and pore water. The advective drag of this excess of electrical charge is responsible for a streaming current, whose divergence generates a quasistatic electric field which can be measured using non-polarising electrodes.

An array of 6 non-polarising self-potential (Petiau) electrodes, connected to a Campbell CR1000 data logger with single core cable, were deployed on the Sørsdal Glacier in 2018. The data consist of a timestamp and a single measurement for each for the six electrodes in mV, a measurement was recorded for each electrode every 60 seconds. The electrodes were located approximately 100 m apart, across the glacier, between the channels leading down glacier from Twin and Channel Lakes.

Coordinates (latitude and longitude in decimal degrees)
SP data logger - 68.689117 S 78.440383 E
SP electrode 1 - 68.690867 S 78.440733 E
SP electrode 2 - 68.689987 S 78.440583 E
SP electrode 3 - 68.689133 S 78.440517 E
SP electrode 4 - 68.68825 S 78.440367 E
SP electrode 5 - 68.68735 S 78.4403 E
SP electrode 6 - 68.686467 S 78.440217 E

Data file format information
File type - CSV
Timestamp - Decimal Julian day
SP electrode 1 - miliVolts
SP electrode 2 - miliVolts
SP electrode 3 - miliVolts
SP electrode 4 - miliVolts
SP electrode 5 - miliVolts
SP electrode 6 - miliVolts

Data duration - 22/01/18 - 07/12/18 (some data gaps due to battery failure mid winter).
Measurement interval - 60 seconds.