GlacioBurst - Glaciohydrological Characteristics of the Outburst Floods of Ice-Dammed Lake A.P. Olsen (NE-Greenland)

Abstract

Object of investigation were the annual glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) at the Southeast outlet glacier of the A. P. Olsen Ice Cap, Northeast Greenland. Therefore, a geodetic and geophysical approach was chosen to monitor the glacier’s response during a fill- and drain cycle of the glacier-dammed lake. The monitoring network was installed in Spring 2012 and was operated for two years (GEF Loan 957 and 995). A ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was used to retrieve a snapshot of en- and subglacial characteristics. The all-year round monitoring strategy was based on a network of parallel GPS and passive seismic sensors. First analysis of the gathered data show distinct high active events before the GLOF itself, and a stepwise increase of seismicity right after the outburst.