This year we will be returning to the Larsen C Ice Shelf to continue research on the US NSF funded IPY collaborative (Colorado University and CECS) project entitled “Stability of Larsen C Ice Shelf in a warming climate”. Our three primary goals are first, raise the Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) so that they do not become buried by snow during the next year. Second, collect radar measurements to detect the presence of marine ice at the base of the ice shelf and third, take measurements of snow thickness, stratigraphy and density to determine the annual surface mass balance of the ice shelf.
Our current plan is to fly to Larsen from the British Rothera Research station. Our fieldwork will consist of two components, the first of which will be to raise the AWS’s LAR1 and LAR3 and then return to Rothera. We will then go to the AWS LAR2, where we will install our camp, and continue with the AWS service and make radar measurements.
You can see the current weather conditions on the Larsen C Ice Shelf at this website: Weather Data :: Larsen C Ice Shelf. Currently, daytime temperatures are exceeding 5°C, which, in comparison to last year when it was -34°C, will feel quite comfortable.
Daniel Mcgrath (CIRES, Colorado University) & José Luis Rodríguez (CECS).