Albedo of glacier ice
What? Looking at the “color” of glacier ice: what makes it dark, how much variability is there, how does it impact glacier melt? Why? Glaciers are losing their firn areas and darker ice is exposed to the sun for longer periods of time, accelerating melt. The darker the ice is, the more solar radiation it absorbs, so figuring out how dark it is and why it is darker in some places than others is helpful to predict how glaciers will develop.
Summary: Work in progress! In a previous study we found that common satellite products do not capture the full range of albedo values measured in situ, and albedo of glacier ice varies a lot over small distances.