Ukrainian Antarctic Journal

Vol 24 No 1(32) (2026): Ukrainian Antarctic Journal
Articles

Spatial model of the Trooz Glacier dynamics based on meteorological data from the Akademik Vernadsky station

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  • Kornyliy Tretyak,
  • Denys Kukhtar
Kornyliy Tretyak
Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv, 79013, Ukraine
Denys Kukhtar
Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas, Ivano-Frankivsk, 76019, Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33275/1727-7485.1.2026.755
Published July 2, 2026
Keywords
  • ERA5,
  • Fourier series,
  • glacier acceleration,
  • offset tracking,
  • Sentinel-1
How to Cite
Tretyak, K., & Kukhtar, D. (2026). Spatial model of the Trooz Glacier dynamics based on meteorological data from the Akademik Vernadsky station. Ukrainian Antarctic Journal, 24(1(32), 3-28. https://doi.org/10.33275/1727-7485.1.2026.755

Copyright (c) 2026 Ukrainian Antarctic Journal

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This paper models the dynamics of the Trooz Glacier, Antarctic Peninsula. To integrate remote and meteorological data, we processed ice flow velocities derived from satellite radar imagery, air temperature, and precipitation obtained from the ERA5 reanalysis, and in situ meteorological observations from the Ukrainian Antarctic Akademik Vernadsky station. Glacier surface velocity was estimated using the offset-tracking method applied to Sentinel-1 satellite data for the period 2015–2025, generating 286 ice flow maps. An approach is developed to calculate air temperature over the glacier surface using in situ measurements from the remotely located Akademik Vernadsky station, in the absence of additional data. Spatial models of temperature and glacier velocity were constructed, accounting for additional parameters such as precipitation and glacier surface elevation above sea level. Time series analysis over the past decade indicates contrasting trends: increasing air temperature at the Akademik Vernadsky station (+0.12 °C/year) and decreasing temperatures over the glacier surface (–0.07 to –0.13 °C/year). A Fourier series approximation made it possible to clarify a seasonal pattern in glacier velocity. From the mean velocities, there is a tendency toward 1–4% acceleration in ice flow. Analysis of the model showed that air temperature and surface elevation together explain approximately 54% of the spatial variation in mean velocity, with the remaining variability attributable to other factors, including glacier bed geometry, ice thickness, subglacial drainage conditions, and local ice-flow morphology. The resulting spatial models can be used to further predict climate-driven changes in the glacier system. 

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