MODERN OCEANOGRAPHY PROXIMAL TO THE RETREATING KRONEBREEN-KONGSVEGEN TIDEWATER GLACIER, KONGSFJORDEN, SVALBARD

The Kronebreen-Kongsvegen tidewater glacier in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard has been rapidly retreating in recent years. During the summer months, Atlantic Water (AW) advances down Kongsfjorden and interacts with Surface Water (SW), which is associated with the meltwater of tidewater glaciers. This project involves the characterization of the interaction of water masses proximal to the glacial front as of August 2014, the determination of the extent to which AW penetrates the fjord into the ice face, and the temporal comparison of Kongsfjorden water masses based on data sets taken from 2005, 2011, and 2014. From August 4 – 15, 2014, CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) and OBS (relative turbidity) measurements were taken to characterize the water column at a set of locations in Kongsfjorden proximal to the Kronebreen-Kongsvegen ice face. Locations were chosen along transverse transects parallel to the glacial front ~200 m, ~1 km, and ~5 km from the ice face, as well as along oblique transects following a large glacial upwelling at the southern tip of the Kronebreen-Kongsvegen ice face heading NNW, with measurements taken ~0.1 – ~2.3 km from the source. Data suggests that AW penetrates the fjord to the ice face at depths centered on 30 – 40 m with temperatures and salinities of 6 °C and 35 PSU, respectively. Likewise, SW in the upper 10 m of the water column propagates as far as 5 km from the ice face, ranging from 2 – 6 °C and 29 – 34.5 PSU. Turbidity is generally high at 10 m depth, but has significant maxima at the north end of the ~200 m transect, and the centers of the ~1 km and ~5 km transects. The T-S diagram based on 2014 data indicates a peak at 6 °C vs. 35 PSU. In comparison, peaks in the T-S diagrams for 2011 and 2005 occur at 6 °C vs. 33 PSU and 3 °C vs. 33.5 PSU, respectively. Therefore, water temperatures have remained relatively constant since 2011, while having increased slightly in salinity.