Seasonality of Belcher and South Croker Bay Glaciers from 2013 to 2021

Kurzfassung

This study investigates the seasonality of surface ice motion of Belcher and South Croker Bay Glaciers, two of the fastest flowing and highest discharging glaciers on Devon Ice Cap, Nunavut, Canada, from 2009 to 2021. We utilize a variety of remote sensing datasets (RADARSAT-2, TerraSAR-X imagery, ITS-Live) to map ice motion at 11-day to monthly time-scales, creating a catalogue of motion that can be used to specifically quantify the seasonality of these glaciers. Potential drivers of the observed seasonality will be investigated, including sea ice concentrations at the terminus that can provide buttressing for the terminus and modify terminus flow rates; meltwater production and lake drainage that can contribute to basal sliding which increases surface velocities; and bed topography that can control how far up-glacier seasonality is observed. This study contributes to the overall understanding of how glacier motion may be impacted in a warming climate.