A low-cost surface ablation monitoring system using wind-induced motion of mass-balance stakes
- 1Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- 2Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Trottier Space Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- 3Department of Geography and Planning, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada
Abstract
Surface ablation measurements are critical for understanding glacier mass change over time. Mass-balance stakes are commonly used for localized measurements, with the exposed length typically measured manually at infrequent intervals. This paper presents the design and validation of new instrumentation that automates mass-balance stake readings, thus enabling continuous measurements with high temporal resolution. The instrumentation comprises readout electronics that are mounted on mass-balance stakes to measure wind-induced vibrations. The stake vibrational frequency depends sensitively on their exposed length, and changes in the measured frequency therefore are indicative of glacier surface melt and accumulation. Initial instrumentation field tests conducted at Colour Lake on Umingmat Nunaat (Axel Heiberg Island), Nunavut, demonstrate centimeter-level precision on length measurements. The instrumentation can be attached to existing mass-balance stakes and is low-cost (∼ USD 50) in comparison to many other systems that perform automated surface ablation measurements. The accessibility of this instrumentation opens new possibilities for localized, high temporal resolution measurements of glacier surface activity at any location where mass balance stakes are deployed.
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BibTeX
@article{stamour2026lowcost,
title = {{A low-cost surface ablation monitoring system using wind-induced motion of mass-balance stakes}},
author = {Felix St-Amour and Hsin Cynthia Chiang and Jamie Cox and Eamon Egan and Ian Hendricksen and Jacob Rodrigo and Jonathan Sievers and Laura Thomson},
journal = {Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.5194/gi-15-227-2026},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-15-227-2026},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A low-cost surface ablation monitoring system using wind-induced motion of mass-balance stakes
AU - Felix St-Amour
AU - Hsin Cynthia Chiang
AU - Jamie Cox
AU - Eamon Egan
AU - Ian Hendricksen
AU - Jacob Rodrigo
AU - Jonathan Sievers
AU - Laura Thomson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems
DO - 10.5194/gi-15-227-2026
UR - https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-15-227-2026
AB - Surface ablation measurements are critical for understanding glacier mass change over time. Mass-balance stakes are commonly used for localized measurements, with the exposed length typically measured manually at infrequent intervals. This paper presents the design and validation of new instrumentation that automates mass-balance stake readings, thus enabling continuous measurements with high temporal resolution. The instrumentation comprises readout electronics that are mounted on mass-balance stakes to measure wind-induced vibrations. The stake vibrational frequency depends sensitively on their exposed length, and changes in the measured frequency therefore are indicative of glacier surface melt and accumulation. Initial instrumentation field tests conducted at Colour Lake on Umingmat Nunaat (Axel Heiberg Island), Nunavut, demonstrate centimeter-level precision on length measurements. The instrumentation can be attached to existing mass-balance stakes and is low-cost (∼ USD 50) in comparison to many other systems that perform automated surface ablation measurements. The accessibility of this instrumentation opens new possibilities for localized, high temporal resolution measurements of glacier surface activity at any location where mass balance stakes are deployed.
SN - 2193-0856
SN - 2193-0864
ER -