The hydrology (pattern of flow and composition of meltwater) of a cold based glacier, Wright Lower Glacier, Wright Valley, Antarctica

The water cycle, which is an integral part of the terrestrial biophysical processes in the Dry Valley ecosystem, is driven by the meltwater from the surrounding glaciers. Melt generation, drainage pathways and fluxes into the proglacial stream network are not well understood.

This project aimed to understand the drainage system development on the surface of one glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the Wright Lower glacier. Several factors of drainage from the glacier was measured including ablation stake data, meteorological observations including radiation, temperature, humidity and ice temperature for the glacier surface, cliff change information, ice temperature profiles for channel cross-sections, cryoconite hole mapping, albedo monitoring, ice transmissivity experiments, glacier discharge, photos to monitor sediment fluxuations and stream gauging from various stream outlet areas, discrete measurements for Greenwood stream and Onyx River discharge and water quality information for early-mid summer.