Right place, right time. I hadn’t been in this particular area of the glacier for about a month, so I knew this structure was likely to be still around but neither its condition nor at which time we would arrive there. It all lined up, the sun was in the perfect spot and just enough meltwater on the ice to make a perfect mirror. What a place to discover!
(from yesterday’s full-day ice cave tour — shot handheld with Sony A7C + Sigma 20/1.4)
I spent the first few days of September this year on the Vatnajökull ice cap, helping researchers from the Glacier Radiology Group at Stanford University with testing their prototype equipment (most of which will ultimately be used for research in the Antarctic and in Greenland). Overall conditions were amazing except for one storm day that we essentially spent inside our basecamp on Grímsfjall, where the Icelandic Glaciological Society maintains a small research station. I used the time to develop a small tool for importing their radiometry data into 3D software for visualisation – maybe a bit unexpected, but not really for a mountain guide who happens to also have a Ph.D. in computer science!
Driving on the lower parts of Skálafellsjökull was cumbersome, primarily because late summer snow tends to be extremely uneven and progress is slow. Higher up however a recent storm system had smoothed everything out and allowed us to cruise comfortably at good speeds. The flat surface was of course also much better for both the UAV and towed configuration we were testing. We encountered a few crevasses here and there, but they were all easily managed.
⚠️ Mobile device support for the 360° panoramas below is a bit dodgy – I am working on finding a better solution but for now those are best enjoyed on a full-sized computer. Sorry!
Grímsfjall is one of those surreal places that are hard to believe actually exist. And because of the particular local conditions, it also is very often hiding itself in a cover of fairly dense fog. I have been there many times, but rarely enjoyed visibility as good as this time. The views were just amazing. I also created a panorama further out above the caldera lake, and one from Svíahnukur vestry, the western peak of the caldera rim. You can flip through them below.
I am having some technical difficulties with my drone which in addition to the COVID situation has been delaying my mapping project in the past months. On the last flight, the camera white balance unexpectedly changed during a battery swap leading to blue tint for half of the map which I only detected after completion of the flight. I did not have sufficient spare batteries to repeat the flight, so I accepted that it is what it is.
But in more positive news, I created a new WordPress plugin that allows me to directly embed my maps (without the comparison feature, which is the main reason to head on over to the main project site).
Following up on my recent update on the mapping project, I did actually find good flying conditions just a few days later and decided to give it a try with just two batteries. To make it work, I reduced the map coverage a bit and flew at a slightly higher altitude than normal (110m instead of 80m). This required fewer passes and thus less flight time, and was barely doable with two batteries. Not perfect, but still a success!
As always, the interactive maps are online at https://map.hafjall.is/ .
Some may have noticed that my glacier mapping project has been on a bit of a hiatus. The reason is a combination of lack of opportunity and technical difficulties.
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© 2019 stephan mantler / Háfjall ehf.