In this project we investigate selected cryospheric polar key regions by remote sensing methods. Understanding the flow characteristics of Transantarctic Mountains outlet glaciers helps to understand the interaction between the Antarctic ice sheets in the eastern and western hemisphere. This is critical for predicting the response of ice sheets and ice shelves to warming over the next decades and centuries. New high resolution satellite data and ground data are being acquired and analysed for mapping ice flow, ice thickness and surface height. We expect to reveal changes in ice flow dynamics by applying highly accurate InSAR and feature tracking methods. The results are used to constrain numerical simulations of ice flow as well as to improve methods for the spaceborne measurements. This work is conducted within the FRST funded program PACaFI (GNS Science and Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington), and is part of the workpackage 'Ice-Sheet Modelling Contribution to the ANDRILL Programme'. Satellite data are received from the European Space Agency (project AO3.108 Vectra) and the German Aerospace Agency (projects: HYD1421 Precise dynamics and mass-balance near the grounding zone of outlet glaciers in the Transantarctic Mountains; XTI_GLAC0559 Tandem-X surface elevation on polar ice - validation and application in the grounding zone of Antarctic outlet glaciers).
Wolfgang Rack
Associate Professor
- Ice Shelf - Ocean - Sea Ice ...