A Low-Cost Surface Vehicle for Studying the Near-Terminus Region at Tidewater Glaciers

The terminus region of tidewater glaciers is under-explored, yet the processes occurring there are critical to our understanding and assessment of climate-change-induced ice loss, thermohaline structure, fjord-scale dynamics and bio-physical interactions occuring in the glacial bays. This region is hazardous for humans to directly access, necessitating exploration using uncrewed robots. This paper discusses the design, development and deployment of a low-cost remote-controlled surface vehicle for in-situ studies in the near-terminus region. The robot is instrumented with passive acoustic, conductivity-temperature-depth and video sensors, and is able to profile short transects in close proximity to the terminus region. We outline the strengths of the system, the challenges, limitations, lessons learnt and scope for improvement.