Articles | Volume 15, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3731-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3731-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Development of a subglacial lake monitored with radio-echo sounding: case study from the eastern Skaftá cauldron in the Vatnajökull ice cap, Iceland
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík,
IS-102, Iceland
Finnur Pálsson
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík,
IS-102, Iceland
Magnús T. Gudmundsson
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík,
IS-102, Iceland
Thórdís Högnadóttir
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík,
IS-102, Iceland
Cristian Rossi
Remote Sensing Technology Institute, German Aerospace Center (DLR), 82234
Wessling, Germany
Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson
Icelandic Meteorological Office, Reykjavík, IS-105, Iceland
Benedikt G. Ófeigsson
Icelandic Meteorological Office, Reykjavík, IS-105, Iceland
Erik Sturkell
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg,
Box 460, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
Tómas Jóhannesson
Icelandic Meteorological Office, Reykjavík, IS-105, Iceland
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Short summary
We present a unique insight into the shape and development of a subglacial lake over a 7-year period, using repeated radar survey. The lake collects geothermal meltwater, which is released in semi-regular floods, often referred to as jökulhlaups. The applicability of our survey approach to monitor the water stored in the lake for a better assessment of the potential hazard of jökulhlaups is demonstrated by comparison with independent measurements of released water volume during two jökulhlaups.
We present a unique insight into the shape and development of a subglacial lake over a 7-year...