Observations of inertial currents in a lagoon in southeastern Iceland using terrestrial radar interferometry and automated iceberg tracking

Warming ocean currents are considered to be a contributing factor to the retreat of marine-terminating glaciers worldwide, but direct observations near the ice-ocean interface are challenging. We use radar intensity imagery and an iceberg tracking algorithm to produce half-hourly current maps within an imaged portion of Jokulsarlon, a proglacial lagoon in southeastern Iceland. Over our 43.5-h observation period, the lagoon has clockwise circulation with current speeds of order 3-8cm/s and occasional strong glacier outflows of up to ~15cm/s. The currents driven by the glacial outflows appear to be dominantly inertial. HighlightsWe track iceberg motion in a glacial lagoon using terrestrial radar intensity images.We use a PTV approach to track the icebergs.We interpolate the currents using radial basis functions.Subglacial outflows contribute to inertial circulation in the lagoon.

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