Permafrost monitoring System of thermistors (temperature strings with loggers) to monitor the ground thermal state Precise data on the thermal state of the frozen ground is one of the key missing components of the environmental monitoring at the research stations spread across Spitsbergen. The CRIOS project will allow us to equip the newly established borehole with precise temperature strings that will record ground thermal changes over the next couple of years. A system of temperature strings will be used in the monitoring of the thermal state of permafrost in drilled boreholes. Devices were tested in severe weather and are commonly used for permafrost monitoring by other research groups working in polar regions. On the coastal section selected for drilling at Calypsobyen, the bedrock contains siltstone and sandstone forming relict abrasion platforms, which are currently covered by loose sand and gravel beach sediments. The borehole was located near the mouth of the Scott River (right bank), at a distance of about 75 m from the shoreline and 900 m from the station. After stopping the drilling progress again at 5 m below sea level, a decision was made to install a string in the third hole. CRIOS – Cryosphere Integrated Observation Network on Svalbard Project financed from the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 operated by the National Science Centre in Poland Agreement no. UMO-2022/43/7/ST10/00001 to a predefined project no. 2022/43/7/ST10/00001 Project period: 08.09.2022 - 30.04.2024 (2029)

https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2023/egusphere-2023-115/

Glaciers facies extents of Vestfonna delivered from unsupervised classifications of SAR data (fully-polarimetric ALOS PALSAR, single polarimetric ERS-2 SAR) for 2009 year. Date of SAR images acquisitions: 4, 7, 20, 23, 26 May 2009 (VV Single Look Complex ERS-2 SAR), 22 May 2009 (ALOS PALSAR Single Look Complex 1.1, quad polarimetry). Method of classification: K-means classification, H-a Wishart Classification. Results validated with Ground Penetrating Radar data. For more information, please check: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.11.020 Overwiew of results of different classification methods with comparison to GPR data. Top panel: Pauli decomposition, middle panel: H-a Wishart classification, bottom panel: k-means classification. For more information, please check: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.11.020 (Figure 7).

1. One UAV movie taken of Paierlbreen in spring 2017 with Phantom 3 Advanced usage. The movie is focused on the front of the glacier and the area around.

Permafrost monitoring System of thermistors (temperature strings with loggers) to monitor the ground thermal state Precise data on the thermal state of the frozen ground is one of the key missing components of the environmental monitoring at the research stations spread across Spitsbergen. The CRIOS project will allow us to equip the newly established borehole with precise temperature strings that will record ground thermal changes over the next couple of years. A system of temperature strings will be used in the monitoring of the thermal state of permafrost in drilled boreholes. Devices were tested in severe weather and are commonly used for permafrost monitoring by other research groups working in polar regions. Site Information The borehole near the UMK station in Kaffioyra was located at the existing meteorological garden, about 100 m from the shoreline. The drilling was carried out on 20-21.07.2023. The substrate is dominated by loose sandy-gravel beach sediments. A large amount of fine material and the formation of a core in a small part of the hole made it possible to reach a depth of 10.0 m below sea level. CRIOS – Cryosphere Integrated Observation Network on Svalbard Project financed from the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 operated by the National Science Centre in Poland Agreement no. UMO-2022/43/7/ST10/00001 to a predefined project no. 2022/43/7/ST10/00001 Project period: 08.09.2022 - 30.04.2024 (2029)

Precipitation measurements were made at AWS at Polish olar Station Hornsund (N77°00' E15°33') with a multi-type gauge that measured both solid and liquid. Results were into liquid water equivalent in millimeters. Precipitation measurements are slightly offset temporally, with a day defined as beginning at 6 a.m. on the observed day and ending 6 a.m. on the day after.

Air temperature measurements from AWS located on the Werenskioldbreen. The sensors are installed on a mast that is mounted in the glacier ice. During the season, the distance between the glacier's surface and the sensors increases. The instruments are serviced at least once a year between March and April.

Firn extents of Hansbreen and Werenskoildbreen delivered from unsupervised classifications of single, dual and fully-polarimetric SAR data (ALOS-2 PALSAR, RADARSAT-2, Sentinel-1, ERS-2 SAR) between 2011 and 2017. Methods of classification: unsupervised ISO classification, H-a Wishart Classification. Results validated with terrestrial measurements (shallow ice cores drilling, Ground Penetrating Radar measurements). Research supported by the European Space Agency, Third Party Missions grant and Svalbard Science Forum, Arctic Field Grant 2018. For more details, please e-mail to this adress: bbarzycka@us.edu.pl.

1. Dataset of UAV vertical aerial photos of Calypsobyen obtained from height of: 100m (58 photos), 60m (45 photos) and 30m (59 photos). Used UAV: Phantom 3 Advanced, date of acqusition: 16 Aug 2016. 2. Dataset of UAV vertical aerial photos of Paierlbreen east morain/dead ice obtained from height of 50m (152 photos). Area covered: ~250x~130m (with gaps).Used UAV: Phantom 3 Advanced, date of acqusition: 22 Aug 2016. 3. Dataset of UAV vertical aerial photos of Storbreen, close to Komsa (52 photos). Area covered: ~350x~230m. Used UAV: Phantom 3 Advanced, date of acqusition: 21 Aug 2016. 4. Dataset of UAV vertical aerial photos of Werenskoildbreen's south moraine (300 photos). Area covered: ~200x~350m and ~250x~250m. Used UAV: Phantom 3 Advanced, date of acqusition: 7 Sep 2016.

Thermal structure of selected S Spitsbergen glaciers was derived from ground based radio-echo sounding (RES). The division between cold and temperate ice layers is based on indirect interpretation of GPR (ground penetrating radar) image. Cold ice layer is virtually “transparent” for radio waves, while temperate ice layer is characterised by numerous diffractions on water inclusions. The database contains results from 479.7 km of RES profiles acquired in 2007-2014 on 12 glaciers in Wedel Jarlsberg Land and Torell Land (S Spitsbergen) including: Amundsenisen, Austre Torellbreen, Vestre Torellbreen, Hansbreen, Storbreen, Hornbreen, Hambergbreen, Recherchebreen, Scottbreen, Renardbreen, Werenskioldbreen and Ariebreen. Basic characteristics of investigated glaciers and its thermal structure is provided in table 1 (supplementary information). The surveys used GPR antennas in range 25-200 MHz, selected according to expected ice depth. Thanks to that on 87% of the profiles ice/bed interface has been identified. The radar system was pulled behind the snowmobile moving with velocity c. 20 km h-1. Applying trace interval 0.2-1.0 s, trace-to-trace distance was in range 1-5m. Trace positions were acquired by GNSS receivers working in navigation or differential mode with respective accuracy 3.0 m and 0.1m. RES data were processed applying standard filtering procedure (DC-offset, time-zero adjustment, 2-D filter, amplitude correction and bandpass filtering). Time-to-depth conversion used average radio wave velocity (RWV) for glacier ice 16.4 cm ns-1, 16.7 and 16.1 for cold and temperate ice respectively, based on CMP survey. More precise description of data collection, processing and quality is provided by Grabiec (2017). In S Spitsbergen polythermal glaciers are predominant. 57.8% of surveyed profiles consist of both: temperate and cold ice layers; 22.7% profiles is entirely temperate while 6.6% contains cold ice only (remaining profiles have undefined thermal structure). Studied glaciers represent broad spectrum of polythermal structure with cold-to-temperate ice ratio from 99:1% (Ariebreen) to 2:98% (accumulation zone of Vestre Torellbreen). The data were collected and processed under following projects: • IPY/269/2006 GLACIODYN The dynamic response of Arctic glaciers to global warming • UE FP7-ENV-2008-1 ice2sea Estimating the future contribution of continental ice to sea-level rise • PNRF-22-AI-1/07 AWAKE Arctic Climate and Environment of the Nordic Seas and the Svalbard – Greenland Area • NCBiR/PolarCLIMATE-2009/2-1/2010 SvalGlac Sensitivity of Svalbard glaciers to climate change • Pol-Nor/198675/17/2013 AWAKE-2 Arctic climate system study of ocean, sea ice and glaciers interactions in Svalbard area • 03/KNOW2/2014 KNOW Leading National Research Centre Reference: Grabiec M. 2017: Stan i współczesne zmiany systemów lodowcowych południowego Spitsbergenu w świetle badań metodami radarowymi. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego, 328 s.