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Research projects portfolio 2025

The last six days in the field are for each student participating in the program to work hands-on on a research project. These projects can be proposed by the student or chosen from this portfolio. 

Remember that during the first six days, everyone will have the chance to learn every technique we will cover. Also, while you will be in charge of the data processing of your individual project only, the actual data acquisition in the field will be a team effort, so you will have the chance to join and help in multiple projects, especially those with logistics similar to yours.

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Some projects are labelled "optional" and others "core."  Optional projects will be done only if at least one student picks them. In contrast, "core" projects are part of the long-term projects we will carry out independently of student participation. However, students are welcome and encouraged to join "core" projects.

The work on each project will be tutored by one of our faculty, and each project lists the faculty members who can tutor it. On the expedition 2025, the faculty will be composed of:

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  1. Gwenn Flowers (ORCID, Wikipedia)
    Professor at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada.
    Gwenn is a seasoned glaciologist with an extraordinary background in both field-based and theoretical glaciology.  She uses geophysical observations and computer modelling to understand fundamental glacier processes.

  2. Gino Casassa (ORCID, Wikipedia)
    Director of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH)
    After shining as one of the best Chilean mountaineers, Gino has been at the center of the most relevant glaciological research in Chile and the world through his involvement in the IPCC. He has worked on a wide variety of glaciological topics, with a focus on Antarctica, Patagonia and the Andes.

  3. Christina Draeger (ORCID)
    Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia
    Christina has focused her research on surface energy fluxes and mass balance modelling. She has gained considerable experience in meteorological field data collection and is passionate about science communication and its impact in the broader society.

  4. Rodrigo Sotere (ORCID)
    Postdoc at Centro de Investigación Gaia Antártica of Universidad de Magallanes
    Rodrigo has a Ph.D. in Geography, and his research is focused on glacial geomorphology and surface exposure dating techniques in the southern Andes and the Iberian Peninsula.

  5. Camilo Rada (ORCID)
    Professor at Centro de Investigación Gaia Antártica of Universidad de Magallanes
    Camilo has a Ph.D. in Geophysics, and his research focuses on subglacial processes, glacial risks, remote sensing of glaciers, instrumentation development and field glaciology.

  6. Diego Gamonal (LinkedIn)
    Ms.C. in Antarctic Sciences and Glaciology from Universidad de Magallanes
    Diego is joining as an assistant. He is a former PIRP student from the 2023 expedition. He studies how glacier melting is affected by surface processes such as ice cliffs, debris cover, supraglacial lakes and rivers.

Bernal Glacier geodetic mass balance (core)

The main indicator of a glacier's "health" is its mass balance, which tells us how much mass a glacier gains or loses over a year. To do this on Bernal Glacier, we will take the geodetic approach, which uses successive Digital Elevation Models (DEM) to calculate the change in ice volume and, from there, infer changes in mass. We will fly drones all over the glacier to create an up-to-date DEM and compare it with one made in 2023 and 2024.

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Project's objectives

  • Measure a network of ground control points with GNSS for model calibration and validation.

  • Design and execute a flight plan to survey the whole of Bernal Glacier.

  • Generate orthomosaics and a DEM from acquired imagery.

  • Corregister available DEMs and estimate accuracy based on differences on stable ground.

  • Calculate the glacier volume change between surveys.

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Faculty tutors: Camilo

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References

Geodetic Mass Balances and Area Changes of Echaurren Norte Glacier (Central Andes, Chile) between 1955 and 2015
Monitoring the annual geodetic mass balance of Bordu and Sary-Tor glaciers using UAV data
Co-registration and bias corrections of satellite elevation data sets for quantifying glacier thickness change

Glossary of Glacier mass balance and related terms
X-DEM corregistration tools

​Ice speed monitoring with cameras (core)

Keeping track of surface processes and ice flow velocity is an essential tool for understanding the impact of surface conditions on subglacial conditions and the overall dynamics of the glacier. The combination of automated cameras, photogrammetry, and simple computer vision algorithms, such as feature tracking, allows for continuous monitoring of surface conditions and speed at a spatial and temporal resolution much higher than what satellite platforms can offer.

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Project's objectives

  • Service three GlacierLapse camera systems observing Bernal Glacier.

  • Retrieve and preliminarily analyze images from the cameras.

  • Generate a time-lapse movie with the images.

  • Generate ice velocity flow maps.

  • Look for correlations with rain events, snowfall, and snow melt.

  • Assess the existence of a daily velocity cycle on the Bernal Glacier.

 

Faculty tutors: Camilo, Gwenn​

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References

Seismic monitoring of Bernal Glacier (optional)

One way to observe glaciers is through seismic signals, which we can look for on the ground, in the air, and in the water. We will have a Raspberry Shake 3-axis seismic seismometer, Raspberry Boom infrasonic sensors, and a hydrophone

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Project's objectives

  • Install and maintain two seismic stations in the close vicinity of the glacier.

  • Record infrasound signals from the glacier.

  • Record subaquatic sound in the proglacial lake of Bernal Glacier.

  • Analyze signals in search of the signature of subglacial hydrology processes, stick-slip events, crevasse formation and other glacial phenomena.

 

Faculty tutors: Camilo

Surface ablation of Bernal Glacier (core)

The measurement and monitoring of Bernal Glacier's surface processes are among the most accessible and significant tools for understanding how the glacier is evolving and responding to climatic variations. Key parameters include surface flow velocity and ablation (melting) rates of the glacier surface.

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Project's objectives

  • Install long ablation stakes using an ice auger and steam drill at three different elevations.

  • Measure the surface flow speed of the ice and its variations along the glacier using GNSS.

  • Measure the rate of surface ablation (melting) of the glacier.

  • Calculate the degree-day factor of the Bernal Glacier ablation area.

  • Estimate the response time of the glacier to climatic variations using the measured ablation rate and thickness data.

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Faculty tutors: Gwenn, Christina, Gino

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References

Temperature index melt modelling in mountain areas

Glossary of Glacier mass balance and related terms

Science communication of glaciers/climate change (optional)

Bernal Glacier is visited weekly by cruise ships, and the main trail is walked by thousands of people every year.  These visits, combined with the dramatic retreat of Bernal Glacier in the last decades and the rich photographic record, provide a valuable opportunity to communicate scientific information about glacier change, climate change and the forcings behind these changes.

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Project's objectives

  • Collect and select old pictures, satellite images and aerial photographs of Bernal Glacier.

  • Repeat the old pictures to generate before-and-after comparisons.

  • Design a storyline for science communication along the trail.

  • Identify key locations or stations along the trail to observe glacial change or to transmit important scientific concepts.

  • Add markers along the trail showing the dates when the glacier front was at that position.

  • Optionally design displays that can be proposed to Parks for installation next year.

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Faculty tutors: Christina, Rodrigo

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Variables affecting ablation rates at Bernal Glacier (optional)

In the previous project, we measured ablation rates at different altitudes, as this is one of the main parameters controlling changes in ablation. However, other factors, such as albedo and debris cover, can also affect ablation rates significantly. These factors are key to understanding how changes in the glacier surface can affect the mass balance. Significant changes in debris cover have been observed in Bernal Glacier in the past, and it is common for retreating glaciers to experience a gradual increase in debris cover, which may in turn influence ice melt patterns.

In particular, during the initial stage, a thin debris layer enhances ice melt. As the thickness of this layer increases, it functions as a thermal insulator, significantly reducing surface ablation. The critical debris thickness is defined as the thickness of the debris layer at which debris ceases to enhance ablation and begins to inhibit it.

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Project's objectives

  • Install short ablation stakes in different ice surfaces using an ice auger.

  • Calculate degree-day factors as a function of surface albedo.

  • Calculate the effect of the thickness of debris cover on the melting rates of Bernal Glacier.

  • Calculate the critical debris thickness using experimental plots of debris layers.

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Faculty tutors: Diego, Christina, Gwenn

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References

Subaquatic ablation rates at Bernal Glacier (optional)

Ablation also occurs in the submerged part of the ice. On the Bernal glacier, it is possible to see that the ice extends much further underwater than above the water surface of the proglacial lake. This suggests that ablation is stronger in the air than underwater (at least per area unit). On the other hand, the glacier has more than quadrupled its retreat rate since the front entered the deeper sections of the proglacial lake, suggesting that net frontal ablation has increased.
Measuring the ablation at the glacier’s front, both above and below the water, and studying other processes happening right at the glacier front can help understand the interplay of all these factors and how they affect the glacier mass balance and retreat rate.

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Project's objectives

  • Install short ablation stakes above and below the water surface at the glacier front using an ice auger.

  • Measure ablation rate and environmental conditions (air and water temperatures, wind and current speeds.

  • Invent creative ways to isolate variables. For example, the decreasing effect of solar radiation at depth could be estimated by measuring the melting of ice blocks at different depths. Mechanical barriers can be used to remove the effects of winds and currents.

  • Estimate the changes in total frontal ablation due to the presence of the proglacial lake.

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Faculty tutors: Gwenn, Camilo

Estimating Bernal Glacier erosion rate (optional)

Glaciers are the sculptors of Patagonian geography. To understand the evolution of these landscapes, it is important to quantify the rate at which the glacier erodes the underlying bedrock.

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Project's objectives

  • Measure Bernal Glacier's proglacial river's average sediment load and bed transport.

  • Estimate the stream flow by performing multiple stream gauging measurements (using the velocity x area and salt dilution methods).

  • Measure the typical density of glacial debris.

  • Use the above measurements to estimate a lower bound of sediment produced per year, and use the glacier's area and the rock's density to calculate the average erosion rate.

  • Optionally, use an existing time-lapse showing the level of the proglacial lake over a year, together with the stream gauging measurements, to get a more accurate estimate of the total water evacuated over a year.

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Faculty tutors: Rodrigo, Diego, Gwenn

Calculating tidal parameters using tode gauges and GNSS-IR (optional)

To properly interpret dynamics data of calving glaciers in the Montañas Fjord, such as speed and calving rates, or to understand Bernal's glacier frontal lake level variations, we first need to understand the tides. In the intricate fjords of Patagonia, tides can significantly vary in timing and amplitude over short distances, and empirical measurements are required to compute the tidal parameters that will allow us to compute approximate tides at any point in the future or past.

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Project's objectives​

  • Measure the tidal variations using a pressure sensor and/or a GNSS-IR station.

  • Derive tidal parameters from the measured tidal data.

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Faculty tutors: Camilo

Study of the evolution of supraglacial rivers (optional)

It is common to observe rivers on the surface of glaciers. These feed on surface melting and are constantly changing. These changes are due to the sunlight melting the ice around the river and, to a certain extent, the river bed since the waters are transparent. Simultaneously, rain and warm air cause the melting of the ice surrounding the river, and the flow of water causes the melting of its bed. It is not yet known how all these factors interact, resulting in some cases in supraglacial river beds that stay stable near the surface level, and in other cases, river beds deeply incised into the ice.
These questions gained renewed interest after the 2021 drainage of Cachet II Lake in the Northern Patagonian Icefield. Unlike previous drainage events, the 2021 drainage did not evacuate the water under the glacier but rather on top of the glacier due to the runaway growth of a supraglacial river.
This project seeks to understand the factors that influence the deepening of supraglacial rivers to determine what conditions must exist for drainage events (GLOF), such as the 2021 event on Lake Cachet II.

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Project's objectives

  • Measure the rate of subaerial ablation around supraglacial rivers.

  • Measure the rate of underwater ablation in the bed of supraglacial rivers with and without the influence of solar radiation.

  • Determine what fraction of the energy dissipated by the flow of water is invested in melting the bed in supraglacial rivers and under what conditions this fraction becomes dominant in the river's evolution.

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Faculty tutors: Gwenn, Diego, Camilo

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References

Supraglacial Streams and Rivers

Sedimentation rates (optional)

Bernal Glacier is continually transforming the landscape around it. One key process driving this change is sediment transport. Historical images show how proglacial lakes appear and disappear as sediments are deposited and removed. Additionally, the characteristics of the deposits vary widely. Some are quickly colonized by thriving vegetation, while others can remain for decades with little or no vegetation cover.

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Project's objectives

  • Create a high-resolution 3D model of the proglacial plain and compare it to the one created in 2024.

  • Install stakes to monitor sedimentation rates in the areas that might experience measurable change in one or a few years.

  • Optionally, repeat the bathymetry survey of the proglacial lake to look for significant changes in depth.

  • Extract sediment cores and assess their suitability to measure sedimentation rates (existence of annual layers or multiple distinct layers with enough organic material for C14 dating)

  • Optionally, build and install sediment traps for short and long-term deployment.

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Faculty tutors: Rodrigo​​

Study of vertical meteorological variations (optional)

Rising temperatures are one of the factors contributing to the retreat of glaciers. However, the increase in temperature is not equal at different altitudes. Therefore, it may affect various areas of the glacier differently, or some glaciers more than others. Vertical profiles are essential to see how the temperatures and winds of the meteorological models are related to those observed above and on the glacier's surface, which determine the ablation rate.
One traditional way to measure the vertical variation of temperature, wind, and other meteorological variables is by launching disposable sounding balloons. Although there are reusable versions, it is common for them to get lost, especially in mountainous terrain. Therefore, it is an expensive and polluting methodology, and the question remains as to how well the temperature variations in the free atmosphere represent those occurring at the same altitudes on the glacier surface. In this research project, we will use a technique based on UAVs and low-latency meteorological sensors to measure atmospheric variations and small temperature loggers to measure surface temperatures.

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Project's objectives​

  • Measure the vertical gradient of temperature, humidity and wind over different areas on and around the glacier using UAV mounted sensors.

  • Measure the vertical and spatial gradients of temperature and humidity on the surface of and around the glacier using small temperature loggers.

  • Study the spatial and temporal variations of the meteorological parameters observed and the errors that would result from simple lapse-rate gradient extrapolations.

  • Validate and calibrate measurements using multiple techniques, such as reference ground sensors, UAV drift, UAV attitude and smoke bombs.

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Faculty tutors: Christina, Camilo

Moraines and basement exposure dating (core)

The valley of Bernal Glacier has a rich glacial history, as there are numerous moraines and other geoforms that speak of how this valley has changed as the ice cover retreated.
This project seeks to reconstruct that history by dating the glacial landforms present in the valley and the relative dates of exposure of the basement. In particular, we want to understand this glacier's response to the extreme heat events of the last 12,000 years.

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Project's objectives

  • Take rock samples for Be10 cosmogenic isotope dating.

  • Look for organic matter trapped within moraines for C14 dating.

  • Study the changes in the surface hardness of the rock as a function of its exposure time after the disappearance of the ice cover.

  • Surface dating using lichenometry and dendrochronology techniques.

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Faculty tutors: Rodrigo

Glacier geomorphology (core)

In line with the previous project, this one seeks to reconstruct the glacial history of the valley by observing the glacial landforms present in the area.

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Project's objectives

  • Map and identify the glacial landforms present in the valley, using historic imagery for dating when possible.

  • Characterize the sedimentological and stratigraphic aspects of the main glacial landforms observed.

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Faculty tutors: Rodrigo,

Subglacial topography (core)

One key unknown in glacial modelling is the topography under the ice and the ice thickness. Combining GNSS and Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR), we can study the subglacial topography, which can be used to calculate the glacier's total volume or to inform numerical glacier models.

However, steep areas and crevasse fields prevent the acquisition of ground-based GPR over the whole glacier area. Therefore, to obtain a comprehensive coverage of the subglacial topography. GPR data can be used to test and calibrate glacier thickness models, which can be, in turn, used to extend estimations of glacier thickness where GPR can't reach.

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Project's objectives

  • Perform a GPR survey of Bernal Glacier

  • Perform Common Midpoint (CMP) measurements to measure the propagation speed of radar signals on Bernal Glacier.

  • Interpret radargrams to extract glacier thickness values along the survey.

  • Optional after the program: Calibrate a few standard models of ice thickness as a function of surface slope or slope plus speed.

  • Optional after the program: Choose the best model and use it to produce a comprehensive subglacial topography map of Bernal Glacier.

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Faculty tutors: Gwenn, Camilo

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