Marie Schroeder studies unusual ice formations as part of her doctorate in Innsbruck. The LATTICE project focuses on rare glaciers - where most glaciers end relatively flat, the Innsbruck team is interested in special glaciers known as “land-terminated ice cliffs”, which only exist in very few places around the globe. They can be found in Antarctica, on top of Mount Kilimanjaro, or in Greenland, marking the reason for the recent expedition.
The team of three researchers and a cameraman flew to Greenland in the summer, where they first spent four days acclimatising at the Pituffik military base while they waited for the right weather conditions. The American military base, also the second northernmost base in the world, is managed in partnership with Denmark, Greenland and Canada. The team loaded all their food supplies, research materials and gas into a helicopter which would enable them to survive for three weeks on the glacier.
One 30-minute flight later, the team arrived at the ice cliff, where they set up camp, with tents, cooking stations and places to work. Due to the vertical nature of the glacier, they were forced to work from great heights, requiring specialist climbing equipment.
Schroeder, who started her studies in Innsbruck in 2017 and achieved both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in atmospheric and cryosphere sciences, is now working on her doctorate with a particular focus on glaciers.
The data collected in August is now being subjected to evaluation, with research work expected to last until 2026. A further expedition is planned in order to finalise any conclusions and to remove all monitoring stations and other materials.
