Masters Projects

The following iC3 projects are now open exclusively to UiT masters students.

Please directly contact the relevant project supervisor for details.

Detecting and tracking icebergs (three projects)

iC3 is collaborating with the Operational Ice Service at MET Norway to leverage advanced machine learning methods and algorithms to detect and track icebergs using optical and radar satellite imagery. The following three projects build upon MET training data by expanding to other regions, linking ground-truth and in situ iceberg data with extensive satellite archives, consisting of optical and multi-frequency synthetic aperture radar (SAR), as well as laser and radar altimetry observations. By establishing correlations between different sensor outputs and ground truth, they seek to validate and refine our detection methodologies.

Project 1: Belgica Bank: The detection of icebergs located in and around Belgica Bank, north-east Greenland will be used as test cases for the iceberg drift forecast from MET Norway OpenDrift+OpenBerg and the IICWG Community Iceberg models in collaboration with the Greenland Ice Service. We would like to refine and optimize iceberg tracking methodologies for this region prior to transferring the techniques to the waters of the Barents Sea.

Project 2: Nordauslandet: Basin-3 is the largest outlet basin of the Austfonna ice cap on Nordaustlandet, and has a ~30 km long marine calving front. We want to develop an automatic mapping methodology for a ~30 km long marine calving front using monthly high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from COSMO-SkyMed and optical from Sentinel-2 to determine the area lost to iceberg calving.

Project 3: Antarctic Peninsula: The United States National Ice Center compiles an international database of large Antarctic icebergs that MET contributes to. There is a critical need for ice services to automate the detection of these icebergs. This project will focus on aligning ground truth data obtained from ship-based and manual observations, and data from optical and SAR data from satellites. 

For more information about these projects please contact Henry Patton with a short email outlining your relevant interests, skills and experience. Co-supervisors: Monica Winsborrow (iC3) and Penelope Mae Wagner (MET).

Antarctic ice surface morphology and nunatak glacial geomorphology

Past and present ice sheet change in Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica) remains relatively poorly studied, and represents a data gap in constraining ice thickness changes. The landforms and deposits preserved on the numerous nunataks in the region represent record of past ice sheet extents. When combined with mapping of ice surface features, they can yield insights into patterns and processes of landscape evolution and their interactions with ice sheet change.

This project will focus on satellite imagery and digital elevation model-based mapping of glacial landforms and deposits on nunataks, and ice surface morphology in eastern Dronning Maud Land. The candidate should be familiar with the use of GIS (QGIS/ArcGIS) for the manipulation, visualization and interpretation of remote sensing imagery and digital elevation models, and be interested in glacial geomorphology/glaciology.

For more information about this opportunity please contact Henry Patton with a short email outlining your relevant interests, skills and experience. Co-supervisors: Monica Winsborrow (UiT) and Geir Moholdt (NPI).

Nutrient release from virgin land surfaces exposed by glacier retreat

As glaciers retreat in the 21^st century, vast expanses of new land will be exposed to sub-aerial physical and chemical weathering. This has the potential to transform nutrient cycling, altering the release of nutrients in rivers to fjords. Phosphorous (P) and silica (Si) are essential nutrients for life and are largely sourced from the weathering of crustal sediments. The input of these elements to fjords and marine ecosystems can influence the growth of phytoplankton and micro-algae, such as diatoms, which are the basis for the marine food web. Furthermore, reactive Si supplied from glacier flour contributes to drawdown of CO₂ from the atmosphere, and the quantification of silicate mineral weathering contributes to the understanding and prediction of annual greenhouse gas budgets of glacial landscapes.

This MSc project will be based in the Lyngen Alps. It will investigate the liberation of Si and P by physical and chemical weathering from sediments exposed by glacier retreat and their supply to rivers and fjords, employing the Polar MAGIC lab and Geo Labs in the Department of Geosciences. The project could take different directions depending on the interests and expertise of the candidate. TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED DUE TO ILLNESS - PLEASE CONTACT TERRI SOUSTER FOR INFO

From plume to bloom: how do changing glaciers impact the productivity of downstream lakes and fjords? (several projects)

The export of suspended particles in glacial meltwater, “glacial flour”, fundamentally shapes the productivity of lucrative lake and fjord ecosystems by two opposing effects: while glacial particles are often rich in bioavailable nutrients (e.g. P, K, Si and micronutrients), their abundance in lake and nearshore fjord waters may inhibit primary productivity via particle shading effects. Rising glacial melt rates, ice retreat and proglacial lake formation will dramatically alter these upstream – downstream relationships, with implications for ecosystem services (e.g. fisheries). 

One or more MSc projects could be supported on this topic, drawing on lab/field-based and satellite remote sensing methods to track the evolution of glacial runoff, sediment plumes and productivity blooms in lakes and fjords on the Norwegian mainland, including local field sites in the Lyngen Alps. TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED DUE TO ILLNESS - PLEASE CONTACT TERRI SOUSTER FOR INFO

Glacier-front nutrient fluxes in Arctic fjords

When glaciers melt, they release large plumes of freshwater and sediments into fjords. Where the meltwater plume enters the fjord is crucial to understand its impacts: Melting from land terminating glaciers enters the fjord at the surface and sits like a dark stagnant lid on top of the fjord water, but when buoyant plumes emerge from underneath a tidewater glacier front, they vigorously mix with fjord waters and bring nutrient-rich deeper fjord waters to the surface. With tidewater glaciers on the retreat with global warming, this difference will become crucial to understand future coastal ecosystems response.

This project is at the intersection of physical and biochemical oceanography (ocean turbulence and inorganic nutrient cycles). Some familiarity with both is an advantage, but the scope, workload, and coursework will be adjusted to fit the student’s profile.

We offer an exciting data set (Svalbard 2016 & 2017, Greenland 2015) and opportunities to participate in a field campaign. The primary task will be to analyse observations including nitrate concentrations and turbulent mixing coefficients. The project is co-supervised at UiT, Akvaplan-niva, and NPI. CLOSED - THIS POSITION HAS NOW BEEN FILLED

How do terrestrial inputs affect Arctic coastal ecosystems? (several projects)

We need to build a batter understanding about climate change impacts from the mountains down to the coast to support of the development of more holistic integrated ecosystem-based management plans in Norway. There are several ongoing iC3 and Catchment to Coast research programme activities focusing on quantifying land-sea inputs and exploring the effects of these inputs on Northern Norwegian and Svalbard coastal ecosystems.

Potential topics for MSc projects include: Understanding transformation and fate of riverine inputs in the coastal zone; The role of riverine inputs as a driver for acidification of coastal waters; Effects of riverine inputs of nutrients on coastal primary production; Carbon storage and cycling in Arctic coastal and estuarine ecosystems.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in Arctic field work, and gain valuable experience in lab and experimental methods, data analysis, and scientific writing as part of a dynamic, interdisciplinary international project team. CLOSED - THESE POSITIONS HAVE NOW BEEN FILLED