We are excited to announce the 2022 Antarctica Week Festival will be held the week of November 28. We will have four opportunities to hear from researchers from ITGC projects such as TIME, GHC and MELT so be ready to ask your questions about what it's like to work in Antarctica and why it's important to conduct research on our poles and particularly on Thwaites Glacier. Please register at the links below and submit any questions you have as you register or at the time of the talk! Be sure to join us!
Join us for talks for students age 5 through 18 and up!
Tuesday, November 29
Danny May, Stanford University, USA, TIME Research Team
Fast Ice Meets Slow Ice: Exploring the Edge of Thwaites Glacier
Glaciers are constantly on the move, yet ice flows at different speeds based on the surrounding conditions. The TIME team studies the eastern edge of Thwaites Glacier using cool tools like radar to look inside the ice, and seismic explosions to look below the ice. The measurements collected will help scientists understand things that can change the speed of ice flowing along the glacier’s boundary, including water that moves under the glacier, the ice temperature, and the shape of the bed underneath the glacier. What we learn will be used to improve our ability to better predict future contributions of Thwaites to sea-level rise.
Time: 12:00pm US EST, 9:00am US PST, 5:00pm UK GMT
(aimed at students aged 12+)
Wednesday, November 30
All about ice! What can understanding the ice column tell us about Thwaites Glacier
When we look at ice we see only a frozen surface but what is underneath has its own story to tell us. The MELT program uses a type of radar, ApRES to see below the ice surface and better uderstand the melt below. Join to hear about our work in the field, and what it means for Thwaites!
Time: 9AM UK GMT
(aimed at students aged 12+)
Thursday, December 1
Exploring the ocean around Antarctica
Dani Jones is an oceanographer working at the British Antarctic Survey. They study the waters around Antarctica, including how and why this water moves. Although most of their work happens in Cambridge, UK using computer simulations, every now and then they get to visit the Antarctic waters to take some samples and measurements!
Time: 10AM UK GMT
(aimed at students aged 5+)
Thursday, December 1
Meghan Spoth, University of Maine, USA, GHC Research Team
How to build a climate record: Decoding the history of Thwaites Glacier
What is climate and why is it important to study? The GHC project studies past climate, known as paleoclimate. But how do we learn about time before people were recording it? We will talk about methods of collecting paleoclimate records (think shells and bones!) along frigid island beaches and some of the findings about what is happening in Antarctica. Click here to learn more about Meghan!
Time: 12:00pm US EST, 9:00am US PST, 5:00pm UK GMT
(aimed at students aged 10+)
Activities
Build Thwaites Glacier!
Build a model of Thwaites Glacier with your family and friends and consider ideas on tackling climate change while creating the model!
Explore & interact with the glacier!
Explore Thwaites Glacier with Thwaites-Explorer online interactive site. Locate and read about the different science projects underway, and click straight on the data to see rates of ice loss, depth of cavities under the ice, the speed of ice flow and more!
