A decade of glacier investigations for utilisation of Greenland hydropower

Abstract

Over the past decade GGU has colIected basic glaciological, climatic and hydrological data from the basins that are potential suppliers of hydropower in West Greenland. Detailed topographic maps of the margins of the lnland Ice near Frederikshåb and Jakobshavn have been used to record changes in the drainage pattern due to changing positions of the ice margin. Landsat images are used to augment the field data, particularly using scenes recorded late in the melting season under low sun angles. Computer processing of the Landsat data enhances individual elements that are otherwise not clearly discernable. Since ice-dammed lakes can form natural reservoirs they have been closely studied with a view to controlling the periodic catastrophic outbursts. Statisticai modeIling has been used extensively utilising long series of meteorological data from coastaIstations to simulate the mass balance and mnoff patterns on the margin of the lnland lce.