Start Date
21-11-2023 3:45 PM
End Date
21-11-2023 5:00 PM
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Glacial ice is susceptible to atmospheric and ocean warming, and ice mass loss is a major concern due to its impact on sea level, hazards such as glacial outburst floods, and water resources, affecting millions of people. However, the fate of land ice in the light of prolonged warming is a topic of major uncertainty because of the complex feedbacks of land ice in the climate system. This talk will highlight how glacial sedimentologists use geological archives of different time resolutions, from years to millions of years, to understand an ice-sheet’s response to warming. Records of relatively recent annual glacial varves testify of the dynamic behavior of ice sheets at speeds that exceed their modeled retreat rates. Furthermore, sediment archives deposited millions of years ago provide a glimpse into a world with reduced ice cover in a different greenhouse climate state. The data can be translated to inform decision making towards sustainable development under different future emission scenarios.
Biography
Dr. Passchier is a sedimentologist focusing on understanding the impact of climate change on polar ice sheets and sea level. She is currently the principal investigator on projects funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, targeting West Antarctic ice behavior. She works in the field and on research vessels and directs the sedimentology instrument lab in CELS.
Additional Links
ORCID
Sustainability challenges produced by melting ice sheets: insights from the sediment archive
Glacial ice is susceptible to atmospheric and ocean warming, and ice mass loss is a major concern due to its impact on sea level, hazards such as glacial outburst floods, and water resources, affecting millions of people. However, the fate of land ice in the light of prolonged warming is a topic of major uncertainty because of the complex feedbacks of land ice in the climate system. This talk will highlight how glacial sedimentologists use geological archives of different time resolutions, from years to millions of years, to understand an ice-sheet’s response to warming. Records of relatively recent annual glacial varves testify of the dynamic behavior of ice sheets at speeds that exceed their modeled retreat rates. Furthermore, sediment archives deposited millions of years ago provide a glimpse into a world with reduced ice cover in a different greenhouse climate state. The data can be translated to inform decision making towards sustainable development under different future emission scenarios.