Bergy bit and melt water trajectories in Godthåbsfjord (SW Greenland) observed by the Expendable Ice Tracker
Carlson, D.F.; Boone, W.; Meire, L.; Abermann, J.; Rysgaard, S. (2017). Bergy bit and melt water trajectories in Godthåbsfjord (SW Greenland) observed by the Expendable Ice Tracker. Front. Mar. Sci. 4: 276. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00276 In: Frontiers in Marine Science. Frontiers Media: Lausanne. e-ISSN 2296-7745, more |   |
| Author keywords | Greenland Ice Sheet; bergy bit; GPS tracker; surface drifter; Godthåbsfjord |
| Authors | | Top | - Carlson, D.F.
- Boone, W., more
- Meire, L., more
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| Abstract | Icebergs and bergy bits makes up a significant component of the total freshwater flux from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean. Observations of iceberg trajectories are biased toward larger icebergs and, as a result, the drift characteristics of smaller icebergs and bergy bits are poorly understood. In an attempt to fill this critical knowledge gap, we developed the open-source EXpendable Ice TrackEr (EXITE). EXITE is a low-cost, satellite-tracked GPS beacon capable of high-resolution temporal measurements over extended deployment periods (30 days or more). Furthermore, EXITE can transform to a surface drifter when its host iceberg capsizes or fragments. Here we describe basic construction of an EXITE beacon and present results from a deployment in Godthåbsfjord (SW Greenland) in August 2016. Overall, EXITE trajectories show out-fjord surface transport, in agreement with a simple estuarine circulation paradigm. However, eddies and abrupt wind-driven reversals reveal complex surface transport pathways at time scales of hours to days. |
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