Development of a Wireless Sensor for Measuring Water Storage in Glaciers

随着气候变暖，测量冰川融水的流动对于预测它们未来的行为至关重要。地表融化的增加有可能增加冰流，从而导致冰川的损耗。然而，水从地表到地下的通道是复杂的，因此排水系统的储水能力尚不清楚。该项目将开发一种传感器，用于进入冰川排水系统，以测量“冰穴”中储存了多少水。摩林是将地表融水输送到冰川床的管道，从那里它流经冰川下的排水网络，然后流入大海。人们认为，摩仑的本质上起着直接管道的作用，将水从一个地区迅速输送到另一个地区。最近的研究，包括亲自探索，已经证明了冰穴是复杂的流动通道，可以储存大量的水。这对于理解冰川如何应对气候变暖具有重要意义。我们需要知道在冰穴中储存了多少水，这些水存在了多长时间，以及在整个融化季节，它们与冰下环境的联系如何。然而，摩林是极具挑战性的探索：充满了湍流，快速流动的水，每小时波动，经常冻结，收集所需数据的技术要求是极端的。传感器必须进入冰穴，经受住汹涌的融水，并在不需要电缆连接的情况下以高时间频率将数据传回地面。

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.