Multi-modal sensing drifters as a tool for repeatable glacial hydrology flow path measurements release_7bbkygyprnhqpmhqgmtawm6x5u

Abstract

<strong>Abstract.</strong> Lagrangian drifters are a practical way to measure natural flow features in surface channels. In this study, small cylindrical drifters (length 12 cm, diameter 4 cm) were deployed in a supraglacial channel. Each drifter recorded the total water pressure, linear acceleration, magnetic field strength and rate of rotation at 100 Hz. Based on an ensemble analysis of repeated field deployments (n = 55), it was found that the pressure sensors consistently delivered the most accurate data, where values remained within ±0.11 % of the total pressure time-averaged mean (95 % confidence interval). Magnetometer readings also exhibited low variability across deployments, maintaining readings within ±2.45 % of the time-averaged mean of the magnetometer magnitude. Linear acceleration measurements were found to have substantially larger 95 % confidence intervals, spanning ±34.4 % from the time-averaged mean magnitudes. Furthermore, the drifter speed along the supraglacial channel was estimated by integrating the linear acceleration, providing a 95 % confidence interval of ±24.5 % of the time averaged mean magnitude. The major contribution of this work is to provide a statistical assessment of multimodal drifters, repeatedly deployed in a 450 m long supraglacial channel reach, with a focus on developing a repeatable field measurement methodology including uncertainty. The results of this work show that multimodal drifters are capable of highly repeatable field measurements in supraglacial channels.
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