Research project

GLACSWEB 2

Research groups:

Landscape Dynamics and Ecology
Lead researchers:

Professor Kirk Martinez
Other researchers:

Professor Jane Hart
Research funder:

EPSRC
Status:

Not active

Project overview

The overall aim of this research is to develop an 'intelligent' sensor network in a glacial environment in order to understand and monitor glacier behaviour. One of the key elements of this research will be the development of the sensor nodes, which comprise 'probes' which are inserted beneath the glacier, and send back information to the glacier surface via radio. This is combined with glacier surface data and relayed back to a Web Server in the UK for analysis. This system is being developed for a glacial environment, as this is both technologically challenging as well as crucial for our social well being. The relationship between glaciers and climate directly effect sea level change, as well as being a renewable energy resource and environmental hazard. This is the first time that this technology (both the wireless probes and the sensor network) has been applied to a glacier. The interdisciplinary research involved leads to transferable results for other hostile environments and pervasive computing researchers. Theoretical as well as practical advances in this field will lead to the UK being in the forefront of both environmental sensor networks and glaciology.