Press release from the ITGC
November 13, 2019: For immediate release
Thwaites-Explorer is an online interactive tool for exploring Thwaites Glacier and learning about why it is the focus of our research. Users can click straight on the data to see rates of ice loss, depth of cavities under the ice, speed of ice flow and more, and can locate and read about the different science projects underway. Thwaites-Explorer will continue to be updated so check back regularly.
Karen is a glaciologist and remote sensor at the University of Manitoba, Canada. She is interested in ice shelf-ocean interactions, particularly in relation to buoyant plumes that carve channels on ice-shelf bases. On the TARSAN team, she will primarily assist with seismic surveys to investigate the shape of the sub-ice-shelf cavities.
Aleksandra has a background in satellite oceanography with her PhD research focused on detection and characteristics of icebergs in the Amundsen Sea. In the Thwaites Glacier project, she's interested in measuring sea ice properties with the use of an upward-looking multibeam and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
Yixi's research focuses on ocean-ice-air and ocean-ice shelf interactions. As a member of TARSAN team, she uses the data collected by seals to understand the response of the melting of Thwaites Glacier to the ocean.
Lars Boehme is responsible for the deployment of animal-borne instruments on Weddell and Southern Elephant seals. He is interested in mesoscale processes in the Southern Ocean, e.g., how warmer water from further north finds its way under the Thwaites Glacier. His previous research has also led to a more strategic view of how to combine a range of observational approaches to achieve a cost-effective observation system linking physical observations to the range of trophic levels they drive.
Ben uses observations and models to understand the dynamics of the climate system, including the interaction between ocean, ice and atmosphere. In the Antarctic, his work has focused on the transports of heat around the Amundsen Sea and the interactions with Pine Island and Thwaites Ice Shelves. Ben supervises two PhD students affiliated with the TARSAN project, Kyriaki Lekakou and Yixi Zheng.
Bastien Queste (orcid: 0000-0002-3786-2275) led the TARSAN field component on cruise NBP 19-02. Bastien is an autonomous vehicle specialist with interests in biophysical interactions. His work focuses on physical transport of meltwater and subsequent fuelling of primary production on the shelf.
The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration is pairing school classrooms with Antarctic experts to talk about research in Antarctica and what it is like to work in one of the coldest places on Earth!
For more information about this event, visit our Antarctica Week 2019 page.
US Teachers: the deadline for the 2019 event has passed and the event is full.
UK Teachers: registration is open through 15 November 2019!!
Jan is principal investigator of the Ice Sheets and Climate lab, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder August 2017. He is an ice sheet and climate scientist with a specific interest in polar climate, snow-atmosphere and ice-ocean interactions on meso- to global scale. Jan's main tools are climate models, evaluated with remote sensing and in-situ climate observations.
Jan’s involvement in TARSAN will be focused on analyzing the atmospheric drivers of mass change of the Thwaites and Dotson ice shelves. He is particularly interested in characterizing snowfall, surface melting, and winds using in combination of the observations collected by TARSAN and regional to global climate models.
