For the first time, researchers have collected detailed measurements of water vapor high above the surface of the Greenland ice sheet. Their research, aided by a custom-designed drone, could help scientists improve ice loss calculations in rapidly warming polar regions.

Kevin Rozmiarek, a doctoral student at INSTAAR and first author of the study published in JGR Atmospheres, led the research using a large drone with a 10-foot wingspan to collect air samples at different heights up to nearly 5,000 feet above the ground. Throughout the summer of 2022, the team flew the drone 104 times from the East Greenland Ice-Core Project camp.

The research focused on tracking water vapor isotopes to understand how water moves in and out of Greenland’s system. By incorporating the isotopic data into computer simulations, the team improved model predictions of how water moves over Greenland, which is crucial for understanding the ice sheet’s future in a warming world.