Ruth MottramApr 21, 2024
Ukaliusaq, polar kæruld, Arctic bog cotton, in the low spring sun.

Our GNSS buoys in the glacier mélange are named after birds, fish and mammals and our snow site sensors are named after plants. I don't speak Greenlandic at all (yet), but this is a great way to learn a few words...

#kalaalitnunaat #Grønland #Greenland #Arctic #ArcticWildflowers #fieldwork2024 #WildflowerHour
Ruth MottramApr 19, 2024
Sastrugi city.

I find myself fascinated by the varied patterns the wind makes in the snow. The low sun of near sunset is the best time to see it.
The colours are also beautiful at this time of year, but how could we possibly include these effects in climate models?

#ArcticSunset #Snow #Sastrugi #Snowdunes #Qaanaaq #Greenland #Grønland #KalaalitNunaat #Fieldwork2024
Ruth MottramApr 18, 2024
The glaciers of Melville Bugt produce so many icebergs, there's a lot to see here. But I'm a bit puzzled about how the apparent size sorting of the icebergs works here.
Perhaps tidally forced and related to local topography?I always come home from Greenland with new questions... 🤔

#Greenland #Grønland #Fieldwork2024 #kalaallitnunaat🇬🇱
Ruth MottramApr 17, 2024

A last long day in the field and in discussion with colleagues. Snow, narwhals, local community discussions, a new snow site and perhaps a new proposal. A lot to process and tomorrow will be busy packing and preparing..

Good night all.

#Greenland #Fieldwork2024

Ruth MottramApr 17, 2024
When working hard in the field, don't forget to admire the view occasionally. You might see a halo around the sun (and a little crooked horizon ...).

Today we set up Snow station Q at the old ionospheric observatory in Qaanaaq
This is a bit of a pilot project, supported by DMI's national centre for climate research, that I hope will become longer term.
Snow processes are incredibly important for nearly all parts of the cryosphere, there also often neglected in weather and climate models (though that's starting to change). So data from a dry high Arctic site like Qaanaaq is really valuable.

#Greenland #Fieldwork2024 #Fieldphoto #Grønland #KalaalitNunaat #halo #snow #SeaIce #SnowStationQ #Qaanaaq #NCKF #DMI #Arctic
Ruth MottramApr 16, 2024
Out on the ice with a bigger team today, here's a completely accidental drone shot showing our colleagues from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources deploying some instruments under the sea ice to measure ocean noise and narwhal populations.
DMI and GINR are collaborating in the EU #HorizonEurope project #ArcticPassion which this works contributes to. I was flying the drone and doing snow work for DMI that will be used in another EU project @[email protected], and it will probably also be used together with ESA satellite data: a nice example of EU projects working together in the #PolarRegions
#Greenland #Grønland #Fieldwork #Fieldphoto #Fieldwork2024 #Arctic #Snow #SeaIce #DMI #GINR #NCKF
Ruth MottramApr 15, 2024
Another long work day but this time inside our workshop, getting ready to finalise the start of a new measurement programme. With the melange field programme now more or less done for the next few months (until the fast ice breaks up), it's time to turn to snow...

So today has mostly been spent working on new equipment designed to measure drifting snow, hopefully now ready for deployment tomorrow or Tuesday after some snow on sea ice work planned for tomorrow.

Here's a low Arctic sun moment to ponder: my #dmidk #nckf colleague Steffen Olsen walking away from Heilprin glacier melange zone earlier this week.

#Greenland #Grønland #kalaallitnunaat🇬🇱
#Glacier #iceberg #GlacierMelange #fieldwork #Fieldphoto #Fieldwork2024 #Qaanaaq #InglefieldBredning
Ruth MottramApr 14, 2024

Offline on #fieldwork last few days, so posting some late updates. Still in #Greenland + bad internet so will take a while likely! Here's one highlight from our glaciers tour.

https://pixelfed.social/p/IceClimate/685086554861234168
@IceClimate - mélange zone Melville Glacier with massive, fresh icebergs. Large calving event this week, slightly unusual so early in the year + with so much fast ice, calving is an important process to understand.
#kalaallitnunaat🇬🇱 #Fieldphoto #Fieldwork2024

Ruth Mottram (@[email protected])

The start of the mélange zone in front of Melville Glacier, massive and fresh icebergs formed an ice wall. Large calving event this week, slightly unusual so early in the year and with so much fast ice, unfortunately we missed recording it but our instruments will get the next one. Greenland loses around half of it's ice by calving so it's an important process to understand. This glacier is clearly very dynamic. It's an incredible field site, the glacier is continuously pushing and heaving and you can hear it while you're there. Lots of seals around on the sea ice too and many polar fox tracks... Some long days and no internet so posting a few late pictures now with some fieldwork updates. Satellite image from ESA's Sentinel 2 mission, processed on snapplanet #Greenland #Grønland #kalaallitnunaat🇬🇱 #fieldwork #Fieldphoto #Fieldwork2024 #Ice #snow #glacier #MelvilleGlacier #Iceberg #IceMelange #Sikussaq #NCKF #DMI #ESA #Snapplanetio

Pixelfed
Ruth MottramApr 14, 2024
The start of the mélange zone in front of Melville Glacier, massive and fresh icebergs formed an ice wall. Large calving event this week, slightly unusual so early in the year and with so much fast ice, unfortunately we missed recording it but our instruments will get the next one. Greenland loses around half of it's ice by calving so it's an important process to understand.
This glacier is clearly very dynamic.

It's an incredible field site, the glacier is continuously pushing and heaving and you can hear it while you're there. Lots of seals around on the sea ice too and many polar fox tracks...

Some long days and no internet so posting a few late pictures now with some fieldwork updates. Satellite image from ESA's Sentinel 2 mission, processed on snapplanet

#Greenland #Grønland #kalaallitnunaat🇬🇱 #fieldwork #Fieldphoto #Fieldwork2024 #Ice #snow #glacier #MelvilleGlacier #Iceberg #IceMelange #Sikussaq #NCKF #DMI #ESA #Snapplanetio
Ruth MottramApr 9, 2024
Some aerial views of Qaanaaq village: a quick upload of some test photos taken while testing the UAV - as you can see here, we also have a thermal camera on it too for studying thermal properties of the snow pack but it works equally well on humans and buildings, which amused no end the couple of kids who came to watch we fly it!

#Fieldwork2024 #Qaanaaq #UAV #Greenland