Tidewater glacier methodology
For the first time in the historical exploration of the nearly 70 glaciers in the Western Russian Artic region, frontal velocities can be measured. This approach stems from the analysis of the movement of fast sea ice away from the shore caused by glacier flow. Analysing this process is possible through the use of interferograms, which are a photographic record of light interference patterns caused by movement. The calculations are then conducted by subtracting the original picture from a translated version of the same picture in order to come up with an estimation of ice motion/deformation. The uses of the results are many. They can facilitate safe merchant shipping along the Northern Sea Route, which in turn improves trade and the living conditions of the local population. They could help to ensure the sustainable management of natural resources such as land, freshwater and biological resources. Additionally results can provide efficient means for solving the problem of rational exploitation of mineral resources in the High Russian Arctic, which cannot be solved effectively without the proper organisation of marine transportation. Thus the application of this methodology includes but is not limited to shipping companies, insurance companies, tourist agencies and research and educational institutions.
