Development of a Wireless Sensor for Measuring Water Storage in Glaciers

随着气候变暖，测量融水通过冰川的过境对于预测它们未来的行为至关重要。表面融化的增加有可能增加冰流，从而导致冰川的浪费。然而，水从地表到地下的通道是复杂的，因此排水系统储存水的能力不是很清楚。该项目将开发一种传感器，用于进入冰川排水系统，以测量有多少水储存在“冰川穴”中。冰臼是将表面融水输送到冰川床的管道，从那里它流过冰下排水网络并流入大海。人们认为，冰川穴主要是作为一个直接的管道，将水从一个地区迅速转移到另一个地区。最近的研究，包括在人的探索，已经表明，冰川穴是复杂的流动通道，可以储存大量的水。这对了解冰川如何应对气候变暖具有重要意义。我们需要知道有多少水储存在冰川穴中，它已经存在了多久，以及它在整个融化季节与冰下环境的联系。然而，Moulins的探索极具挑战性：充满了湍流，快速流动的水，每小时波动并经常冻结，收集所需数据的技术要求是极端的。传感器必须进入冰臼，在湍流的融水中生存下来，并在不需要电缆连接的情况下以高时间频率将数据返回到表面。

Measuring the transit of meltwater through glaciers is critical for predicting their future behaviour as the climate warms. Increased surface melt has the potential to increase ice flow and hence glacier wasting. However, the passage of water from surface to the subsurface is complex and hence the capacity of the drainage system to store water is not well known. This project will develop a sensor for entering the glacier drainage system to measure how much water is stored in 'moulins'. Moulins are conduits that transport surface meltwater to the glacier bed, from where it flows through a subglacial drainage network and on out to sea. It was assumed that moulins essentially functioned as a direct pipe, moving water rapidly from one area to another. Recent research, including in person exploration, has demonstrated that moulins are complex flow pathways which can store significant quantities of water. This has important implications for understanding how glaciers will respond to climate warming. We need to know how much water is stored in moulins, how long it has been resident, and how connected it is to the subglacial environment throughout the melt season. Moulins are, however, extremely challenging to explore: filled with turbulent, fast-flowing water that fluctuates hourly and frequently freezes, the technological demands of collecting the required data are extreme. Sensors must enter the moulin, survive turbulent meltwater and return data to the surface at high temporal frequency without requiring a cabled connection.