News release
From School of geography
29 September 2009
Sensing sub-glacial processes: wireless success
Last summer 6 newly designed wireless probes were installed 60m into the ice and subglacial sediment at Skalafellsjökull, Iceland as part of the EPSRC funded Glacsweb (Glacier wireless sensor network) project. Unfortunately communications were lost, and it was assumed the new system had failed. However, last week, during an expedition to investigate the system, communications were re-established with the probes! Five out of the six sent their data back to Southampton, making these probes not only the most successful, but the most long lived. The sensor data collected indicated the range of subglacial processes occurring within a small area.
The Glacsweb project is a joint project between Prof Jane Hart, School of Geography and Dr Kirk Martinez, Electronics and Computer Science, which uses the advances in sensor network technology to study subglacial processes in order to understand the relationship between glaciers and climate change. Previous research was carried out at the rapidly retreating Briksdalsbreen, Norway which has been recently published in Hart et al. (2009) Quaternary Science Reviews, 28, 597-607. (doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.07.020 
News feeds