Scientists from the University of Southampton have published findings from unique sensor probes in Iceland that have found that increased melt water is increasing the speed in which glaciers are shrinking.
The Glacsweb project, which is co-directed by Electronics and Computer Science's Professor Kirk Martinez, has shared research from the Skálafellsjökull glacier in the international Nature Communications journal.
The project's findings demonstrate how small changes in melting, driven by air temperature rises, have a significant effect on a glacier's behaviour. They also show that during winter, contrary to expectations, they are very active.
The research's observations could have significant global implications because unconsolidated beds underlie many of the fast flowing ice streams of the Antarctic.
The Glacsweb team are now developing new technologies to investigate a series of other glaciers resting on unconsolidated sediments from both Iceland and elsewhere. This includes the first web connected GPS system.
