I'll be defending my Ph.D. dissertation in just two weeks--on Thursday, October 17th, at
8:30 am, in the Elvey Auditorium of the Geophysical Institute at UAF. My title is
"Seismicity, seawater and seasonality: new insights into iceberg calving from Yahtse
Glacier, Alaska."
During my talk, I'll describe some of
the new things my advisers, collaborators and I have learned about iceberg calving by
studying glacier seismicity and the fjord water properties at Yahtse Glacier in southern
Alaska. Some highlights: The implosion of huge air bubbles in the fjord after iceberg
calving produces icequakes detected hundreds of miles from the glacier terminus!
Seawater in front of Yahtse reaches over 50 degrees F and can melt the glacier front at
over 30 feet per day! Glacier termini are delicate-- variations in the tides trigger
variations in the rate of iceberg calving. But when the seawater is coldest in winter,
very few icebergs fall into the fjord!
All of this helps us better understand
one of the really major ways in which huge glaciers lose ice, and track iceberg calving
remotely and automatically. So many thanks to my family, friends and coworkers who have
helped to make this work happen.
I hope to see you there if you can make
it!
