Session 3

Session Chair: Christel Hansen; Technical Support: Prashant Pandit. The recording of the session is available below.

• 14:50 - 14:55 GMT: Introduction

• 14:55 - 15:05 GMT: Insights of Lange Glacier meltwater contribution in the Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica

  Presenter: Diego F. Mojica

  Institution: Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile; Centro de Investigaciones Oceanográficas e Hidrográficas, Colombia; Programa Antártico Colombiano, Colombia.

  Type: Flash presentation

  Abstract: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes that glaciers are sensitive indicators of climate change. Glacier thickness has decreased and sea level has risen since we have records (the 1970’s) due to the temperature increase. One of the greatest areas of interest due to its sensitivity and implications of warming over the cryosphere is Antarctica. In particular, the Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent islands are areas where the greatest regional warming of the Southern Hemisphere has been identified. In this study, we describe methodological aspects and preliminary results obtained with a network of stakes, installed on the Glacier Lange King George Island, Antarctica. The aim is characterize the dynamic of the mass balance, temperature and water contribution in the Admiralty Bay. The equipment recorded surface glacier temperatures for 22days during the austral summer 2018-19. The devices were installed 200m from the Southern edge. We recorded an average movement of 8.8 m Southeast direction to the front of the glacier. The 85% of temperatures were above the melting point 0°C. From the oceanic point of view, 29 oceanographic stations were recorded. A clear freshwater contribution of the glacier between 60 and 80 m depth was evidenced with a low temperature in several stations of the front of the glacier from 0.7 to 0.5 °C. The measurements indicated that the glacier is in a continuous melting, with a clear freshwater contribution to the Admiralty Bay. Further monitoring is needed to establish direct implications of climate change and contributions to sea level rise.

• 15:05 - 15:20 GMT: Comparing object-based and pixel-based image processing approaches for effective mapping of glacier facies

  Presenter: Sagar F. Wankhede

  Institution: National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, India

  Type: Oral presentation

  Abstract: Advances in glaciology have now found that the structurally unique and spectrally distinct expressions on the surface of a glacier called facies melt at differential rates. However, mapping the distribution of such facies through field campaigns is not always the most logistically viable choice. Moreover, in-situ data collection consists of a few points and is therefore limited in spatial coverage, which is insufficient to calibrate spatially distributed mass balance models. Hence, remote sensing plays a key role in globalizing a mechanism by which glacier surface facies can be mapped. Very high-resolution (VHR) sensors now provide the opportunity to map minute glacial spatial variations coupled with spectral differentiation. Therefore, this study aims to map glacier surface facies across selected glaciers from the Chandra basin, Himalaya, and the Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard using VHR WorldView-2 (WV-2) satellite imagery. Two prominent methods of mapping, the object-based image analysis (OBIA), and the pixel-based image analysis (PBIA) are engaged in this endeavor. A thorough preprocessing protocol was applied prior to classification to derive atmospherically corrected and enhanced imageries. The OBIA approach resulted in the generation of four customized spectral index ratios. The PBIA approach tested the conventional Mahalanobis Distance classifier for a comparative accuracy analysis with the OBIA approach. This was accomplished using error matrices. The OBIA approach achieved maximum overall accuracy of 93% (κ=0.91) and the PBIA approach registered a maximum overall accuracy of 85% (κ=0.82). Our future research will focus on the transferability of the proposed methods to other glacial regions.

• 15:20 - 15:35 GMT: A case study of mapping blue ice areas over Polar Record Glacier of East Antarctica

  Presenter: Prashant Pandit

  Institution: TERI University, India

  Type: Oral presentation

  Abstract: Blue Ice Area (BIA) is characterized by hard ice in a cryospheric environ, which appears blue due to net ablation dominated by sublimation and wind scouring exceeds the accumulation by precipitation and snowdrift deposition. BIAs is also characterized by negative surface mass balance. Over the Antarctic continent, BIAs are widely scattered and cover about 1 % of its surface area. They are of great interest for paleoclimatic studies due to their sensitivity to climate change. Meteorites that fall in the accumulation zone gets transported and accumulated in concentration in the BIAs, also called meteorite traps, due to ice flow and therefore, are popular among glaciologist, meteorologist, geologist, environmentalist and climatologist. BIAs are the main source for drinking water for research stations and also serve as airplanes runway. This research is an attempt to evaluate and develop the techniques to map the BIA of the Polar Record Glacier, East Antarctica. This study estimates that more than 30% of the total surface area of the Polar Record Glacier is covered with BIAs, and a series of factors influence this variation. The total area is also depending upon the climatic and season changes, while the reliable knowledge of parameters like katabatic wind direction, the rate of sublimation and ablation, wind pattern and surface temperature, etc. can increase the accuracy of the result. This study also found that there is a high impact of surface albedo on the BIAs, causing significant variation in the spatial extent and total surface area of BIAs.

• 15:35 - 15:50 GMT: Monitoring Antarctic vegetation using very high resolution remotely sensed satellite data

  Presenter: Udhayaraj AD

  Institution: Wildlife Institute of India

  Type: Oral presentation

  Abstract: Vegetation is one of the desirable pointers of climate change due to their susceptibility to carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. They form the active foundation of all terrestrial ecosystems. Robust monitoring of the changes in distribution and density of cryospheric plant species requires accurate and high-resolution baseline maps of vegetation. Due to the unstable climate and ice-covered land, plants colonize only 1% of the region. The mapping of vegetation in the cryospheric environment provides a significant tool, with the potential for revealing the contemporary pattern and dynamic nature of this land cover. Mapping such change at the landscape scale is often problematic, particularly in the remote Antarctica/Himalayas and Arctic. Less frequent imaging with high-spatial-resolution satellite sensors enables more detailed analyses of vegetation change frequently. This study uses high-resolution satellite imagery to map vegetation as an imperative indicator of environmental change. Multispectral imagery and panchromatic imagery from very high-resolution satellite data have been used for mapping of vegetation. A range of image processing methods have been executed using satellite data. This study statistically and comparatively evaluates the vegetation mapping results using supervised and unsupervised classification methods to extract vegetation in Schirmacher oasis, east Antarctica. We also focused on the use of supervised pixel-based classifiers and textural measures, in addition to standard multispectral information, to improve the classification of Antarctic vegetation communities. Classification results were validated with independent reference datasets. The present research indicates that the overall accuracy of mapping vegetation using high-resolution imagery and semiautomated target extraction methods exceeded 91%.

• 15:50 - 16:00 GMT: Assessment and provision of energy security in the Arctic regions

  Presenter: Tatiana Burmenco

  Institution: Siberian Federal University , Russia

  Type: Flash presentation

  Abstract: Since the Arctic is a region of interest to many states, security issues are relevant for a number of countries. The energy security of the Arctic region is closely interrelated with the socio-economic situation of the region, the environmental situation, the fuel and energy balance of the region. In its turn, energy security is one of the components of the economic security and in general the security of a country. The authors have analyzed the activities of the Russian Federation subjects in the Arctic zone and identified the main interests of these subjects in relation to the development of the Arctic zone according to the strategies of socio-economic development of these subjects. Difficulties in socio-economic development of regions are caused by uncertainty and instability of regional economic systems. Based on this, it is important to analyze the dynamics of the main socio-economic indicators of the regions, the analysis of which can reveal problems in the development of certain areas of the region or in general of the entire economy of the region.

• 16:00 - 16:15 GMT: Arctic Small Cities, Climate Change, and Multilevel Governance: Case Studies of Norilsk and Yakutsk, Russia

  Presenter: Nadezhda Filimonova

  Institution: University of Massachusetts Boston, USA

  Type: Oral presentation

  Abstract: The Arctic is warming twice as rapidly as compared to the global average. Arctic cities are exposed to permafrost thawing, sea level rise, inland and coastal flooding that represent challenges to the effective functioning of cities. With the anticipated increase in intensity and scope of climatic challenges, risks for Arctic cities will increase even more. This paper aims to investigate how the Russian cities of Norilsk and Yakutsk have been framing the governance mechanisms to implement climate adaptation policies. More specifically, the study applies multilevel governance framework to explore how the cities frame their relations with the Russian state and non-state actors to formulate and implement climate adaptation policies. The academic literature mainly focuses on climate change policies of global cities; this study will contribute to the knowledge on the role of small cities in addressing climate change risks. The topic of small cities and their role in urban governance is especially important in connection to future sustainable and climate-resilient development of cities around the world.

• 16:15 - 16:30 GMT: Sustainable Development in Yakutia: Economic, Environmental and Innovative Aspects

  Presenter: Anisiia Lazareva

  Institution: North-Eastern Federal University, Russia

  Type: Oral presentation

  Abstract: Sources of regional development are becoming critical in Yakutia, the biggest Russian region with enormous amounts of natural resources. After the 1990s, Yakutia focused mainly on extraction and export of oil and gas. However, this resource-dependent development is no longer sustainable due to changes in federal tax law regulations (2013) and the environmental situation. Currently, there are no sources for sustainable development of Yakutia, and the federal funding is inadequate to support the regional infrastructure development. This decline affects every aspect of living in Yakutia. It is therefore time to focus on new development advantages and possibilities in the region.

• 16:30 - 17:05 GMT: Keynote: Can fieldwork in the polar regions ever be green?

  Presenter: Heïdi Sevestre

  Institution: TBA

  Type: Keynote presentation

  Abstract: In times when the carbon footprint of every sector of society is being closely examined and monitored, the footprint of our own polar fieldwork is something we must also reflect on. The use of polluting motorized transportation and tools has become the norm, and is often considered to be the only option for the type of fieldwork that is being planned, and in regards to time efficiency and safety. But new solutions are being developed, solutions that work even in the most remote places on Earth and work for a wide array of measurements. The use of renewable energies is becoming more mainstream, and carbon neutral research stations can be found in both polar regions. This talk aims to take an in depth look into such new solutions and inspire scientists to implement them during their own field campaigns!

• 17:10 - 17:25 GMT: Deducing summer and winter surface ice flow velocities of western tributary glaciers, Amery ice shelf

  Presenter: Shubhang Kumar

  Institution: Central University of Jharkhand, India

  Type: Oral presentation

  Abstract: Calculation of surface ice flow velocity and regular monitoring of the dynamics act as an important parameter in understanding the changes occurring in the glacier in different seasons. Unfortunately, frequent visit to glaciated areas in the Antarctic is limited due to extreme weather conditions, rough terrain and high logistical cost. Remote sensing serves as an efficacious way for estimation and calculation of glacier surface velocity throughout the year. The Amery Ice Shelf (AIS) in the East Antarctic is a major ice shelf of the Antarctic that contributes to 8% of total ice flow into the ocean from the ice shelf. The AIS is fed by various tributaries from the eastern, western and the head of the ice shelf. The ice shelf is fed by two major tributaries from the western side. One of the glaciers meets near the upstream area whereas the other glacier meets in Charybdis Glacier Basin (CGB). This study is focused on estimation and comparison of glacier velocity during summer and winter from the western tributaries. The velocity has been calculated using the Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Ground Range Detected (GRD) product. Offset tracking method was applied to the SAR data for estimation of the velocity. The velocity ranges from 41 m/yr. to 193 m/yr. during winter whereas from 33 m/yr. to 245 m/yr. during summer near the upstream region. Similarly, the velocity in CGB ranges from 50 m/yr. to 273 m/yr. during winter and from 41 m/yr. to 369 m/yr. in the summer season. The biases of the result are not observed beyond 10 m/yr. and the RMS error is observed to be within 20 m/yr. The accuracy was calculated using the MEaSUREs (Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments) yearly velocity (at 450 m and 1 km resolution) available on the NSIDC (National Snow & Ice Data Center) portal and was found to be 85 percent for maximum regions.

• 17:25 - 17:35 GMT: Implementation of an eolic turbine in Antarctica

  Presenter: Cesar

  Institution: Fuerza Aérea Colombiana

  Type: Flash presentation

  Abstract: This project aims to design, manufacture and validate a prototype of a Wind Turbine prototype in Colombia for its implementation in Antarctica. Designed for the use of extreme wind currents, which are abundant and constant throughout the year, being a friendly energy with the environment and the best option when implementing a Colombian kinetic base, contributing to the Antarctic treaty policies, being a model of development for the country as pioneers in the field of renewable energy implementation and in turn, mitigating the logistical impact of fossil fuels supply, a task that requires labor and unnecessary flight hours before the possibility of using a Wind turbine, saving high costs of these operations. During the month of December of the year 2015 there was a participation in the Antarctic Base of Marambio with the objective of identifying in what and how much electrical energy is consumed, as well as a preliminary measurement of winds with a portable weather station, the foregoing to design the Turbine prototype which was implemented for the year 2018 in the Antarctic Base of Marambio, obtaining positive results with Polar winds of 40 knots, temperatures of -50ºC, generating between 3 and 5 KW from a year ago, being the implementation of the same a great success and at the same time a challenge and experience for the deployment of the generator from Colombia and its installation. Both missions are possible thanks to the collaboration of host country Argentina.

APECS Online Conference 2019 - Session-3 from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.