Studying the influence of environmental parameters on calving variability at Hansbreen, in Svalbard

The marine-terminating glaciers in Svalbard are retreating and losing mass at an alarming rate due to the rapidly warming climate. And glacier calving is one of the most important process contributing to the glacier mass loss. Hence, it is very important to observe the glacier termini to understand calving variability and the influence of local environmental conditions on them.

Here, high frequency time-lapse images have been used to observe the calving front of Hansbreen (a tidewater glacier in the Honrsund fjord, Svalbard) at a 15-minute interval. The time-lapse images have been visually analyzed from April 2016 to October 2016, to observe the calving variability. The calving events are identified and then classified based on several parameters. The environmental parameters like air temperature, sea surface temperature, tidal cycle, water salinity, etc, for the same region have been understood to see if they have any influence spatial and temporal distribution of the observed calving events. [This research has been supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (grant no. 2021/43/D/ST10/00616) and the Ministry of Education and Science, Poland (subsidy for the Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences).]