On 19 May we carried the RQ30 discharge measurement device back to its place. Although there is still a lot of snow, most of the avalanches are already released in the area of Getschnerbrücke. The aim of the early assembly is to record the onset and maximum of the snow melt runoff.
The projects progress has been presented an discussed at the 2020 General Assembly of the European Geoscience Union. Abstract Helfricht et al. EGU 2021
Methods and first results of the Hidden.Ice project have be presented an discussed at the 2020 Fall Meeting of the American Geoscience Union. Abstract & Poster
irst snow has arrived. As every year, we dismantle the discharge measurement so that it will not be damaged by avalanches. At this time, an accurate recording of the channel section is made using a total station.
Mid of August and 1st of September field visits were packed by station service, runoff calibration measurements, UAV surveys and glaciological measurements. The collegues of project partner KU Eichstätt joined in and added mapping of potentially ice cored debris areas using the drone equipped with a thermal camera. On 29th to the 30th of August a heavy rainfalls lead to a highest runoff for 2020 and triggered sediment erosion in the glacier forefield.
Today we installed a complete setup consisting a turbidity probe and a ISCO water sampler which we get borrowed from the Institute for Environmental Science and Geography of the University of Potsdam. Big Thanks to Prof. Dr. Axel Bronstert making this happen. And much more thanks to Rene for her spending the time and resisting the weather for getting the station running. Next day we could perform the UAV survey #4 of the glacier forefield after a cold start into…
Clemens used the good weather to perform the second UAV survey after two weeks of strong ablation and meltwater runoff.
Summer has finally arrived and snow was completely melted in the glacier forefield. We performed the first UAV survey using the DJI Phantom IV drone. Again we applied the salt dilution method to collect another runoff sample for calibraion of our automated runoff measurement.
The remaining fixed GCPs were mounted around the central glacier forefiel of Jamtalferner. By using an Differential GPS the exact locations of the GCPs were measured with an accuracy of a few centimeters. High snow melt rates have melted almost all snow in the area of interest and increased the runoff considerably up to more than 6m³/s. Thus, we have started the discharge calibration measurements using the salt dilution method.
Technicans of the Potsdam Institut for Climate Impact reserach (PIK) joined us to find the optimal place for measuring turbidity and the corresponding suspended sediment load in the waters of Jambach. Thus, the installation of a turbidity probe and a water sampler close to our discharge measurement is planned for August. We also used this day for reading our water level loggers at both tributaries of the mountain steam.