Articles | Volume 15, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3975-2021
© 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-15-3975-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
23 Aug 2021
Research article |
| 23 Aug 2021
| 23 Aug 2021
Ground-penetrating radar imaging reveals glacier's drainage network in 3D
Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Andreas Bauder
Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Melchior Grab
Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Hansruedi Maurer
Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Related authors
No articles found.
Akash M. Patil, Christoph Mayer, Thorsten Seehaus, Alexander R. Groos, and Andreas Bauder
The Cryosphere, 19, 5547–5577, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5547-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5547-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how the density of snow to ice transition varies with depth in the Aletsch glacier using radar-based field measurements and some simple models. We showed that it is possible to track how much snow has accumulated in the last 10–14 years. This helps improve the uncertainties in glacier mass balance estimates. Overall, by utilising non-invasive radar techniques and models, we provide a novel approach to understanding the evolution of glaciers under regional climate conditions.
Kathrin Behnen, Marian Hertrich, Hansruedi Maurer, Alexis Shakas, Kai Bröker, Claire Epiney, María Blanch Jover, and Domenico Giardini
Solid Earth, 16, 333–350, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-333-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-333-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Several cross-hole seismic surveys in the undisturbed Rotondo granite are used to analyze the seismic anisotropy in the Bedretto Lab, Switzerland. The P and S1 waves show a clear trend of faster velocities in the NE–SW direction and slower velocities perpendicular to it, indicating a tilted transverse isotropic velocity model. The symmetry plane is mostly aligned with the direction of maximum stress, but also the orientation of fractures is expected to influence the velocities.
Sebastian Hellmann, Melchior Grab, Cedric Patzer, Andreas Bauder, and Hansruedi Maurer
Solid Earth, 14, 805–821, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-805-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-805-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Acoustic waves are suitable to analyse the physical properties of the subsurface. For this purpose, boreholes are quite useful to deploy a source and receivers in the target area to get a comprehensive high-resolution dataset. However, when conducting such experiments in a subsurface such as glaciers that continuously move, the boreholes get deformed. In our study, we therefore developed a method that allows an analysis of the ice while considering deformations.
Erik Schytt Mannerfelt, Amaury Dehecq, Romain Hugonnet, Elias Hodel, Matthias Huss, Andreas Bauder, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 16, 3249–3268, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3249-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3249-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
How glaciers have responded to climate change over the last 20 years is well-known, but earlier data are much more scarce. We change this in Switzerland by using 22 000 photographs taken from mountain tops between the world wars and find a halving of Swiss glacier volume since 1931. This was done through new automated processing techniques that we created. The data are interesting for more than just glaciers, such as mapping forest changes, landslides, and human impacts on the terrain.
Lea Geibel, Matthias Huss, Claudia Kurzböck, Elias Hodel, Andreas Bauder, and Daniel Farinotti
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3293–3312, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3293-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3293-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier monitoring in Switzerland started in the 19th century, providing exceptional data series documenting snow accumulation and ice melt. Raw point observations of surface mass balance have, however, never been systematically compiled so far, including complete metadata. Here, we present an extensive dataset with more than 60 000 point observations of surface mass balance covering 60 Swiss glaciers and almost 140 years, promoting a better understanding of the drivers of recent glacier change.
Xiaodong Ma, Marian Hertrich, Florian Amann, Kai Bröker, Nima Gholizadeh Doonechaly, Valentin Gischig, Rebecca Hochreutener, Philipp Kästli, Hannes Krietsch, Michèle Marti, Barbara Nägeli, Morteza Nejati, Anne Obermann, Katrin Plenkers, Antonio P. Rinaldi, Alexis Shakas, Linus Villiger, Quinn Wenning, Alba Zappone, Falko Bethmann, Raymi Castilla, Francisco Seberto, Peter Meier, Thomas Driesner, Simon Loew, Hansruedi Maurer, Martin O. Saar, Stefan Wiemer, and Domenico Giardini
Solid Earth, 13, 301–322, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-301-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-301-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Questions on issues such as anthropogenic earthquakes and deep geothermal energy developments require a better understanding of the fractured rock. Experiments conducted at reduced scales but with higher-resolution observations can shed some light. To this end, the BedrettoLab was recently established in an existing tunnel in Ticino, Switzerland, with preliminary efforts to characterize realistic rock mass behavior at the hectometer scale.
Sebastian Hellmann, Melchior Grab, Johanna Kerch, Henning Löwe, Andreas Bauder, Ilka Weikusat, and Hansruedi Maurer
The Cryosphere, 15, 3507–3521, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3507-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3507-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we analyse whether ultrasonic measurements on ice core samples could be employed to derive information about the particular ice crystal orientation in these samples. We discuss if such ultrasonic scans of ice core samples could provide similarly detailed results as the established methods, which usually destroy the ice samples. Our geophysical approach is minimally invasive and could support the existing methods with additional and (semi-)continuous data points along the ice core.
Peter-Lasse Giertzuch, Joseph Doetsch, Alexis Shakas, Mohammadreza Jalali, Bernard Brixel, and Hansruedi Maurer
Solid Earth, 12, 1497–1513, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1497-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1497-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Two time-lapse borehole ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were conducted during saline tracer experiments in weakly fractured crystalline rock with sub-millimeter fractures apertures, targeting electrical conductivity changes. The combination of time-lapse reflection and transmission GPR surveys from different boreholes allowed monitoring the tracer flow and reconstructing the flow path and its temporal evolution in 3D and provided a realistic visualization of the hydrological processes.
Sebastian Hellmann, Johanna Kerch, Ilka Weikusat, Andreas Bauder, Melchior Grab, Guillaume Jouvet, Margit Schwikowski, and Hansruedi Maurer
The Cryosphere, 15, 677–694, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-677-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-677-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We analyse the orientation of ice crystals in an Alpine glacier and compare this orientation with the ice flow direction. We found that the crystals orient in the direction of the largest stress which is in the flow direction in the upper parts of the glacier and in the vertical direction for deeper zones of the glacier. The grains cluster around this maximum stress direction, in particular four-point maxima, most likely as a result of recrystallisation under relatively warm conditions.
Alba Zappone, Antonio Pio Rinaldi, Melchior Grab, Quinn C. Wenning, Clément Roques, Claudio Madonna, Anne C. Obermann, Stefano M. Bernasconi, Matthias S. Brennwald, Rolf Kipfer, Florian Soom, Paul Cook, Yves Guglielmi, Christophe Nussbaum, Domenico Giardini, Marco Mazzotti, and Stefan Wiemer
Solid Earth, 12, 319–343, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-319-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-319-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The success of the geological storage of carbon dioxide is linked to the availability at depth of a capable reservoir and an impermeable caprock. The sealing capacity of the caprock is a key parameter for long-term CO2 containment. Faults crosscutting the caprock might represent preferential pathways for CO2 to escape. A decameter-scale experiment on injection in a fault, monitored by an integrated network of multiparamerter sensors, sheds light on the mobility of fluids within the fault.
Eef C. H. van Dongen, Guillaume Jouvet, Shin Sugiyama, Evgeny A. Podolskiy, Martin Funk, Douglas I. Benn, Fabian Lindner, Andreas Bauder, Julien Seguinot, Silvan Leinss, and Fabian Walter
The Cryosphere, 15, 485–500, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-485-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-485-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The dynamic mass loss of tidewater glaciers is strongly linked to glacier calving. We study calving mechanisms under a thinning regime, based on 5 years of field and remote-sensing data of Bowdoin Glacier. Our data suggest that Bowdoin Glacier ungrounded recently, and its calving behaviour changed from calving due to surface crevasses to buoyancy-induced calving resulting from basal crevasses. This change may be a precursor to glacier retreat.
Guillaume Jouvet, Stefan Röllin, Hans Sahli, José Corcho, Lars Gnägi, Loris Compagno, Dominik Sidler, Margit Schwikowski, Andreas Bauder, and Martin Funk
The Cryosphere, 14, 4233–4251, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4233-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4233-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We show that plutonium is an effective tracer to identify ice originating from the early 1960s at the surface of a mountain glacier after a long time within the ice flow, giving unique information on the long-term former ice motion. Combined with ice flow modelling, the dating can be extended to the entire glacier, and we show that an airplane which crash-landed on the Gauligletscher in 1946 will likely soon be released from the ice close to the place where pieces have emerged in recent years.
Cited articles
Bælum, K. and Benn, D. I.: Thermal structure and drainage system of a small valley glacier (Tellbreen, Svalbard), investigated by ground penetrating radar, The Cryosphere, 5, 139–149, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-139-2011, 2011. a
Bartholomaus, T. C., Anderson, R. S., and Anderson, S. P.: Response of glacier basal motion to transient water storage, Nat. Geosci., 1, 33–37,
doi10.1038/ngeo.2007.52, 2008. a
Bartholomew, I., Nienow, P., Mair, D., Hubbard, A., King, M. A., and Sole, A.: Seasonal evolution of subglacial drainage and acceleration in a Greenland outlet glacier, Nat. Geosci., 3, 408–411, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo863, 2010. a
Beniston, M., Farinotti, D., Stoffel, M., Andreassen, L. M., Coppola, E., Eckert, N., Fantini, A., Giacona, F., Hauck, C., Huss, M., Huwald, H., Lehning, M., López-Moreno, J.-I., Magnusson, J., Marty, C., Morán-Tejéda, E., Morin, S., Naaim, M., Provenzale, A., Rabatel, A., Six, D., Stötter, J., Strasser, U., Terzago, S., and Vincent, C.: The European mountain cryosphere: a review of its current state, trends, and future challenges, The Cryosphere, 12, 759–794, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-759-2018, 2018. a
Bingham, R. G., Nienow, P. W., Sharp, M. J., and Copland, L.: Hydrology and
dynamics of a polythermal (mostly cold) High Arctic glacier, Earth Surf.
Proc. Land., 31, 1463–1479, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1374, 2006. a
Böniger, U. and Tronicke, J.: Improving the interpretability of 3D GPR
data using target-specific attributes: application to tomb detection,
J. Archaeol. Sci., 37, 360–367,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2009.09.049, 2010. a
Chandler, D. M., Wadham, J. L., Lis, G. P., Cowton, T., Sole, A., Bartholomew,
I., Telling, J., Nienow, P., Bagshaw, E. B., Mair, D., Vinen, S., and
Hubbard, A.: Evolution of the subglacial drainage system beneath the
Greenland Ice Sheet revealed by tracers, Nat. Geosci., 6, 195–198,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1737, 2013. a
Church, G., Bauder, A., Grab, M., Rabenstein, L., Singh, S., and Maurer, H.:
Detecting and characterising an englacial conduit network within a temperate
Swiss glacier using active seismic, ground penetrating radar and borehole
analysis, Ann. Glaciol., 60, 193–205, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2019.19,
2019. a, b, c, d
Colorado, J., Devia, C., Perez, M., Mondragon, I., Mendez, D., and Parra, C.:
Low-altitude autonomous drone navigation for landmine detection purposes,
2017 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, ICUAS 2017, Miami, FL, USA, 13–16 June 2017,
540–546, https://doi.org/10.1109/ICUAS.2017.7991303, 2017. a
Cook, S. J. and Swift, D. A.: Subglacial basins: Their origin and importance
in glacial systems and landscapes, Earth-Sci. Rev., 115, 332–372,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2012.09.009, 2012. a, b
Cuffey, K. M. and Paterson, W. S. B.: The Physics of Glaciers, Academic Press, 4th edn., 2010. a
Egli, P. E., Irving, J., and Lane, S. N.: Characterization of subglacial
marginal channels using 3-D analysis of high-density ground-penetrating radar
data, J. Glaciol., 67, 759–772, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2021.26, 2021. a, b
Flowers, G. E. and Clarke, G. K. C.: Surface and bed topography of Trapridge
Glacier, Yukon Territory, Canada: digital elevation models and derived
hydraulic geometry, J. Glaciol., 45, 165–174,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022143000003142, 1999. a
Fountain, A. G. and Walder, J. S.: Water flow through temperate glaciers,
Rev. Geophys., 36, 299–328, https://doi.org/10.1029/97RG03579, 1998. a
Fountain, A. G., Jacobel, R. W., Schlichting, R., and Jansson, P.: Fractures
as the main pathways of water flow in temperate glaciers, Nature, 433,
618–621, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03296, 2005. a
Gaffey, C. and Bhardwaj, A.: Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in
Cryosphere: Latest Advances and Prospects, Remote Sensing, 12, 948,
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12060948, 2020. a
GLAMOS: The Swiss Glaciers 2013/14 and 2014/15, edited by: Bauder, A., Glaciological Report No. 135/136 of the Cryospheric Commission (EKK) of the
Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) published by VAW/ETH Zürich, Tech.
rep., https://doi.org/10.18752/glrep_135-136, 2017. a, b, c
Grab, M., Bauder, A., Ammann, F., Langhammer, L., Hellmann, S., Church, G. J., Schmid, L., Rabenstein, L., and Maurer, H. R.: Ice volume estimates of Swiss glaciers using helicopter-borne GPR an example from the Glacier de la Plaine Morte, in: 2018 17th International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), IEEE, Rapperswil, Switzerland, 18–21 June 2018, https://doi.org/10.1109/ICGPR.2018.8441613, 2018. a
Grab, M., Mattea, E., Bauder, A., Huss, M., Rabenstein, L., Hodel, E.,
Linsbauer, A., Langhammer, L., Schmid, L., Church, G., Hellmann, S.,
Délèze, K., Schaer, P., Lathion, P., Farinotti, D., and Maurer,
H.: Ice thickness distribution of all Swiss glaciers based on extended
ground-penetrating radar data and glaciological modeling, J.
Glaciol., 1–19, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2021.55, 2021. a
Grasmueck, M., Weger, R., and Horstmeyer, H.: Full-resolution 3D GPR imaging, Geophysics, 70, 12JF–Z26, https://doi.org/10.1190/1.1852780, 2005. a
Gudmundsson, G. H., Bassi, A., Vonmoos, M., Bauder, A., Fischer, U. H., and
Funk, M.: High-resolution measurements of spatial and temporal variations in
surface velocities of Unteraargletscher, Bernese Alps, Switzerland, Ann. Glaciol., 31, 63–68, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756400781820156, 2000. a
Gulley, J.: Structural control of englacial conduits in the temperate
Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, USA, J. Glaciol., 55, 681–690,
https://doi.org/10.3189/002214309789470860, 2009. a
Gulley, J. D., Benn, D. I., Müller, D., and Luckman, A.: A
cut-and-closure origin for englacial conduits in uncrevassed regions of
polythermal glaciers, J. Glaciol., 55, 66–80,
https://doi.org/10.3189/002214309788608930, 2009. a
Hansen, L. U., Piotrowski, J. A., Benn, D. I., and Sevestre, H.: A
cross-validated three-dimensional model of an englacial and subglacial
drainage system in a High-Arctic glacier, J. Glaciol., 66, 278–290,
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.1, 2020. a, b
Harper, J. T., Bradford, J. H., Humphrey, N. F., and Meierbachtol, T. W.:
Vertical extension of the subglacial drainage system into basal crevasses,
Nature, 467, 579–582, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09398, 2010. a, b, c
Hart, J. K., Rose, K. C., Clayton, A., and Martinez, K.: Englacial and
subglacial water flow at Skálafellsjökull, Iceland derived from
ground penetrating radar, in situ Glacsweb probe and borehole water level
measurements, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 40, 2071–2083,
https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3783, 2015. a
Hoffman, M. J., Andrews, L. C., Price, S. A., Catania, G. A., Neumann, T. A.,
Lüthi, M. P., Gulley, J., Ryser, C., Hawley, R. L., and Morriss, B.:
Greenland subglacial drainage evolution regulated by weakly connected
regions of the bed, Nat. Commun., 7, 13903, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13903,
2016. a
Holschuh, N., Christianson, K., Paden, J., Alley, R. B., and Anandakrishnan,
S.: Linking postglacial landscapes to glacier dynamics using swath radar at
Thwaites glacier, Antarctica, Geology, 48, 268–272, https://doi.org/10.1130/G46772.1,
2020. a
Hooke, R. L., Laumann, T., and Kohler, J.: Subglacial Water Pressures and the Shape of Subglacial Conduits, J. Glaciol., 36, 67–71,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000005566, 1990. a, b, c
Iken, A., Rothlisberger, H., Flotron, A., and Haeberli, W.: The uplift of
Unteraargletscher at the beginning of the melt season – a consequence of
water storage at the bed?, J. Glaciol., 29, 28–47,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022143000005128, 1983. a
Irvine-Fynn, T. D. L., Moorman, B. J., Williams, J. L. M., and Walter, F.
S. A.: Seasonal changes in ground-penetrating radar signature observed at a
polythermal glacier, Bylot Island, Canada, Earth Surf. Proc.
Land., 31, 892–909, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1299, 2006. a
Irving, J. D. and Knight, R. J.: Removal of wavelet dispersion from
ground-penetrating radar data, Geophysics, 68, 960–970,
https://doi.org/10.1190/1.1581068, 2003. a
Joughin, I., Das, S. B., King, M. A., Smith, B. E., and Howat, I. M.: Seasonal
Speedup Along the Western Flank of the Greenland Ice Sheet, Science, 320,
781–783, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1153288, 2008. a
King, E. C.: The precision of radar-derived subglacial bed topography: A case
study from Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica, Ann. Glaciol., 61,
154–161, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2020.33, 2020. a
Lindner, F., Walter, F., Laske, G., and Gimbert, F.: Glaciohydraulic seismic tremors on an Alpine glacier, The Cryosphere, 14, 287–308, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-287-2020, 2020. a
Lliboutry, L.: Physical Processes in Temperate Glaciers, J. Glaciol., 16, 151–158, https://doi.org/10.3189/S002214300003149X, 1976. a
Lliboutry, L.: Local Friction Laws for Glaciers: A Critical Review and New
Openings, J. Glaciol., 23, 67–95,
https://doi.org/10.3189/s0022143000029750, 1979. a
Lliboutry, L.: Modifications to the Theory of Intraglacial Waterways for the
Case of Subglacial Ones, J. Glaciol., 29, 216–226,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000008273, 1983. a, b, c, d
Macgregor, K. R., Riihimaki, C. A., and Anderson, R. S.: Spatial and temporal
evolution of rapid basal sliding on Bench Glacier, Alaska, USA, J. Glaciol., 51, 49–63, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756505781829485, 2005. a, b
Mair, D., Nienow, P., Sharp, M., Wohlleben, T., and Willis, I.: Influence of
subglacial drainage system evolution on glacier surface motion: Haut Glacier
d'Arolla, Switzerland, J. Geophys. Res., 107, 2175,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JB000514, 2002. a
McClymont, A. F., Green, A. G., Streich, R., Horstmeyer, H., Tronicke, J.,
Nobes, D. C., Pettinga, J., Campbell, J., and Langridge, R.: Visualization
of active faults using geometric attributes of 3D GPR data: An example from
the Alpine Fault Zone, New Zealand, Geophysics, 73, B11, https://doi.org/10.1190/1.2825408,
2008. a
Moorman, B. J. and Michel, F. A.: Glacial hydrological system characterization using ground-penetrating radar, Hydrol. Process., 14, 2645–2667, https://doi.org/10.1002/1099-1085(20001030)14:15<2645::AID-HYP84>3.0.CO;2-2, 2000. a
Nanni, U., Gimbert, F., Vincent, C., Gräff, D., Walter, F., Piard, L., and Moreau, L.: Quantification of seasonal and diurnal dynamics of subglacial channels using seismic observations on an Alpine glacier, The Cryosphere, 14, 1475–1496, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1475-2020, 2020. a
Nienow, P., Sharp, M., and Willis, I.: Temporal Switching Between Englacial
and Subglacial Drainage Pathways: Dye Tracer Evidence from the Haut Glacier
D'arolla, Switzerland, Geogr. Ann. Ser. A, 78, 51–60, https://doi.org/10.1080/04353676.1996.11880451, 1996. a, b
Nienow, P., Sharp, M., and Willis, I.: Seasonal changes in the morphology of
the subglacial drainage system, Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland, Earth
Surf. Process. Land., 23, 825–843,
https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(199809)23:9<825::AID-ESP893>3.0.CO;2-2, 1998. a
Nye, J.: Glacier sliding without cavitation in a linear viscous
approximation, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A, 315, 381–403, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1970.0050, 1970. a
Palmer, S. J., Dowdeswell, J. A., Christoffersen, P., Young, D. A.,
Blankenship, D. D., Greenbaum, J. S., Benham, T., Bamber, J., and Siegert,
M. J.: Greenland subglacial lakes detected by radar, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 40, 6154–6159, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL058383, 2013. a
Peters, L. E., Anandakrishnan, S., Holland, C. W., Horgan, H. J., Blankenship, D. D., and Voigt, D. E.: Seismic detection of a subglacial lake near the South Pole, Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, 1–5,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL035704, 2008. a
Podolskiy, E. A. and Walter, F.: Cryoseismology, Rev. Geophy., 54, 708–758, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016RG000526, 2016. a
Putzig, N. E., Smith, I. B., Perry, M. R., Foss, F. J., Campbell, B. A.,
Phillips, R. J., and Seu, R.: Three-dimensional radar imaging of structures
and craters in the Martian polar caps, Icarus, 308, 138–147,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2017.09.023, 2018. a
Rada, C. and Schoof, C.: Channelized, distributed, and disconnected: subglacial drainage under a valley glacier in the Yukon, The Cryosphere, 12, 2609–2636, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2609-2018, 2018. a, b
Reynolds, J. M.: An introduction to applied and environmental geophysics,
John Wiley & Sons, 1997. a
Ridley, J. K., Cudlip, W., and Laxon, S. W.: Identification of subglacial
lakes using ERS-1 radar altimeter, J. Glaciol., 39, 625–634,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S002214300001652X, 1993. a
Röthlisberger, H.: Water Pressure in Intra- and Subglacial Channels,
J. Glaciol., 11, 177–203, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022143000022188, 1972. a, b
Schaap, T., Roach, M. J., Peters, L. E., Cook, S., Kulessa, B., and Schoof, C.:
Englacial drainage structures in an East Antarctic outlet glacier, J. Glaciol., 66, 166–174, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2019.92, 2019. a
Schoof, C.: Ice-sheet acceleration driven by melt supply variability, Nature,
468, 803–806, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09618, 2010. a, b
Sheriff, R. E. and Geldart, L. P.: Exploration Seismology, Cambridge
University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139168359, 1995. a
Shreve, R. L.: Movement of Water in Glaciers, J. Glaciol., 11,
205–214, https://doi.org/10.3189/S002214300002219X, 1972. a, b
Siegert, M. J., Carter, S., Tabacco, I., Popov, S., and Blankenship, D. D.: A revised inventory of Antarctic subglacial lakes, Antarct. Sci., 17,
453–460, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102005002889, 2005. a
Sipos, D., Planinsic, P., and Gleich, D.: On drone ground penetrating radar
for landmine detection, in: 2017 First International Conference on Landmine:
Detection, Clearance and Legislations (LDCL), IEEE, Beirut, Lebanon, 26–28 April 2017,
https://doi.org/10.1109/LDCL.2017.7976931, 2017. a
Stuart, G., Murray, T., Gamble, N., Hayes, K., and Hodson, A.:
Characterization of englacial channels by ground-penetrating radar: An
example from austre Brøggerbreen, Svalbard, J. Geophys.
Res., 108, 2525, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JB002435, 2003. a
Sugiyama, S. and Gudmundsson, G. H.: Short-term variations in glacier flow
controlled by subglacial water pressure at Lauteraargletscher, Bernese Alps,
Switzerland, J. Glaciol., 50, 353–362,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756504781829846, 2004. a
Sugiyama, S., Tsutaki, S., Nishimura, D., Blatter, H., Bauder, A., and Funk,
M.: Hot water drilling and glaciological observations at the terminal part
of Rhonegletscher , Switzerland in 2007, Bull. Glaciol. Res.,
26, 41–47, 2008. a
Temminghoff, M., Benn, D. I., Gulley, J. D., and Sevestre, H.:
Characterization of the englacial and subglacial drainage system in a high
Arctic cold glacier by speleological mapping and ground-penetrating radar,
Geogr. Ann. Ser. A, 101, 98–117,
https://doi.org/10.1080/04353676.2018.1545120, 2019. a
Tsutaki, S., Sugiyama, S., Nishimura, D., and Funk, M.: Acceleration and
flotation of a glacier terminus during formation of a proglacial lake in
Rhonegletscher, Switzerland, J. Glaciol., 59, 559–570,
https://doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J107, 2013. a
Tuckett, P. A., Ely, J. C., Sole, A. J., Livingstone, S. J., Davison, B. J.,
Melchior van Wessem, J., and Howard, J.: Rapid accelerations of Antarctic
Peninsula outlet glaciers driven by surface melt, Nat. Commun., 10, 4311,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12039-2, 2019. a
Werder, M. A., Bauder, A., Funk, M., and Keusen, H.-R.: Hazard assessment investigations in connection with the formation of a lake on the tongue of Unterer Grindelwaldgletscher, Bernese Alps, Switzerland, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 10, 227–237, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-10-227-2010, 2010. a
Wu, K., Rodriguez, G. A., Zajc, M., Jacquemin, E., Clément, M., De
Coster, A., and Lambot, S.: A new drone-borne GPR for soil moisture
mapping, Remote Sens. Environ., 235, 111456,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2019.111456, 2019.
a
Zechmann, J. M., Booth, A. D., Truffer, M., Gusmeroli, A., Amundson, J. M., and Larsen, C. F.: Active seismic studies in valley glacier settings: Strategies and limitations, J. Glaciol., 64, 796–810,
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.69, 2018. a
Zwally, H. J., Abdalati, W., Herring, T., Larson, K., Saba, J., and Steffen,
K.: Surface melt-induced acceleration of Greenland ice-sheet flow, Science,
297, 218–222, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1072708, 2002. a
Short summary
In this field study, we acquired a 3D radar survey over an active drainage network that transported meltwater through a Swiss glacier. We successfully imaged both englacial and subglacial pathways and were able to confirm long-standing glacier hydrology theory regarding meltwater pathways. The direction of these meltwater pathways directly impacts the glacier's velocity, and therefore more insightful field observations are needed in order to improve our understanding of this complex system.
In this field study, we acquired a 3D radar survey over an active drainage network that...
