Abstract
Measurements of the vertical directionality of the sound of bubbles released explosively from a melting glacier terminus are presented. These data are motivated by a desire to infer ice melt rates using the sound generated by bubbles, trapped in the glacier ice at the base of the fern layer and pressurized over time, as they are released by the melting terminus. The free energy available to generate noise is a function of the difference between the bubble internal gas pressure and hydrostatic pressure, both of which can vary with depth beneath the sea surface. Previous studies of bubble gas pressure in glacier ice suggest that the noise generated by bubble release should decrease with increasing depth below the surface. Measurements of noise directionality made with a compact, 4-element hydrophone array approximately 300 m in front of Hansbreen Glacier in Hornsund Fjord, Southwestern Svalbard in the summer of 2017 will be presented and discussed. This study suggests that only the top few 10’s of meters of ice cliff generate the majority of melt noise. This result has important implications for the interpretation of bubble noise in terms of ice melt rate. [Work funded by ONR, Grant No. N00014-17-1-2633 and by the Polish National Science Centre, Grant No. 2013/11/N/ST10/01729.]
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
