Freya Glacier - History

Freya (Fröya) Glacier is a 6km long valley glacier situated on Clavering Island 10km southeast of the Zackenberg research station at the northeastern coast of Greenland. Its surface area is 5.63 km² (2013), reaching from 1300 m to 280 m a.s.l. and mainly oriented to NW with two seperated accumulation areas oriented to NE and NW. The thickest ice found during a GPR survey in May 2008 is 200m, located at the confluence of the two accumulation areas. GPR-data suggest, that Freya Glacier is a polythermal glacier with temperate ice in a limited area only, at the ELA near the bottom of the glacier.

Mean values (1996-2005) of anual temperture and precipitation at Zackenberg (38m a.s.l.) are -9.2°C and 230mm. Mass balance measurements at Freya Glacier have been carried out by ZAMG since 2007/08, the mean annual mass balance 2008-2018 is -0.3m w.e.

Within the project Glacio-Live, a new automatic weather station (AWS) and two automatic cameras were installed on Freya Glacier in spring 2016.

Panorama photo of Freya Glacier in August 2013 (photo: B. Hynek).

Freya Glacier and its distinct terminal moraine in August 2009 (photo: B. Hynek).

From left to right: Tyroler Fjord, Moltke Bjerg, Freya Glacier and Skille (Vintergata) Glacier in August 2009 seen from Eiger (photo: B. Hynek).

A superglacial stream on the surface of Freya Glacier in August 2009 (photo: B. Hynek).

Drilling ablation stakes into the ice of Freya Glacier in August 2009 (photo: B. Hynek).

Surface mass balance time series of Freya Glacier. Annual surface mass balance data are available here.