Scientists used laser and drone technology to measure glaciers’ rocky beds
Researchers measure Castleguard Glacier in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada.
June 2, 2021
Photos show the hard, rough country some glaciers slide over: rocky domes and bumps in granite, rocky steps and depressions in limestone. The glaciers' beds often dwarf the researchers and their instruments.
During research in places exposed by retreating glaciers in the Swiss Alps (Rhone, Schwarzburg and Tsanfleuron glaciers) and the Canadian Rockies (Castleguard Glacier), four glaciologists used laser and drone technology to precisely measure the glaciers' rocky beds and record their contours.
The scientists then turned their measurements into high-resolution digital models of the glacier beds. They worked with subunits of the models to study how glaciers slide along bedrock bases.