Greenland - ice sheet elevation - model comparison - GNSS - Sportive challenge

• Main Authors: Bergeot, N., Bertrand, B., Denis, G., Goffart, N., Chevalier, J., Defraigne, P., Elisa, P.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Arctic; Greenland; Nanok; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5021667

The Nanok expedition (www.nanokexpedition.be) is an extreme sportive triathlon that took place from April to September 2022 in Greenland. The expedition consisted in a 600km traverse from West to East coasts using skis and pulkas, 1 000km sea-kayaking along the South coast and the opening of a 1 000m new free climbing route. During the skis and pulkas traverse, the explorers acquired continuous GNSS data, using a Septentrio AsteRx SB ProConnect powered by batteries and solar panels. This data set is used for two mains objectives. The first one is to make a profile of the current elevation of the ice sheet and compare it with elevation models. The second one is to use the GNSS data to retrieve the Total Electron Content (TEC) over Greenland to characterize the ionospheric activity at polar latitudes ((Figure 1). In this paper, we will discuss the technological challenge to acquire continuous GNSS data in extreme meteorological conditions, with weight and size limitations. We will then present our results on the estimated GNSS elevation profil, and the comparison with Arctic Digital elevation model of snow elevation. First results showed a mean melting on costal region of 1.5m/y. We also highlighted problems in the models which should be considered for ice mass balance estimation.