Short Wave How Glaciers Move — And Affect Sea Level Rise
11 snips
Dec 11, 2023 Jessica Mejía, a glaciology postdoctoral researcher at the University of Buffalo, shares her fascinating fieldwork experiences on the Greenland Ice Sheet. She reveals the dramatic impacts of climate change on glaciers and how their melting influences global sea levels. Mejía delves into the mechanics of glacier movement and discusses the challenges scientists face in research, sprinkling in humorous anecdotes about unconventional tools. Her insights highlight the importance of collaboration between scientists and policymakers to tackle rising sea level threats.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Fieldwork on the Greenland Ice Sheet
- Jessica Mejía, a glaciologist, flies to the Greenland Ice Sheet via helicopter to conduct fieldwork.
- She describes the glacier as looking like another planet, where her team sets up camp for a month.
The interplay of melting and movement
- Glaciers melt due to climate change, causing sea levels to rise, but they also move.
- It is unclear how melting impacts glacial movement, specifically if faster melting increases sliding speed, which would accelerate sea level rise.
Resourcefulness in Glaciology
- Glaciologists often adapt tools from other fields, like ice fishing, due to the lack of specialized equipment for their research.
- Jessica Mejía even lost a GoPro in a moulin, a hole in the glacier, highlighting the challenging research conditions.