Once again, news of the world from San Francisco
Glaciologist Chris Larsen took this photo of surging, cracked-up Bering Glacier in 2010. The glacier may have stopped its several-year period of get-up-and-go.
Chris Larsen photo.
SAN FRANCISCO — For the thirteenth straight year, I’m happy to be spending one week of December here, at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, where more than 15,000 scientists gather for a week to discuss the latest news of the world.
Here are a few items from the first two days:
Petrich to work at the Northern Research Institute in Narvik, Norway
As of Jan. 1, 2012, Chris Petrich will begin work at the Northern Research Institute (Norut) in Narvik, Norway. Petrich will be working on ice-related issues as part of a team of researchers. For a start, he will continue his work on oil-in-ice and other issues of relevance to Norway, including ice loads in hydropower dams.
Graduate student opportunities in sea ice research at the Geophysical Institute
Graduate students are needed to fill positions at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (applicants for Ph.D. program preferred, but strong applications for M.S. program will be considered, also for topics in sea-ice research other than those outlined below):
A better look at Greenland glaciers on the go
Ryan Cassotto, left, of the University of New Hampshire and Martin Truffer of the University of Alaska use radar to monitor “KNS” glacier in Greenland in summer 2011.
Photo courtesy Martin Truffer.
Using some of the great datasets available today, Mark Fahnestock figured the average winter temperatures of the Arctic from the time he was born until he was 10 years old. He compared that data to the same period in his son’s life, finding the Arctic has warmed about five degrees since Fahnestock was his son’s age. All that warmth affects things, the scientist said at a recent meeting in Fairbanks.
By Ned RozellGI Quarterly Report now available
Read up on some of the latest research news in the current edition of the Geophysical Institute Quarterly Report. Glaciers, thermokarst lakes, the 20th anniversary of the Alaska Satellite Facility, GI's new Education Group and details on our new director, Bob McCoy, are all available in this new, extended edition of the Quarterly.
View the pdf here or request a copy of the publication through the Outreach Office. Email info [at] gi [dot] alaska [dot] edu with your requests.
Thermokarst research gets attention
Ben Jones, Geophysical Institute doctoral student in the Snow, Ice and Permafrost group, is lead author of “Modern thermokarst lake dynamics in the continuous permafrost zone, northern Seward Peninsula, Alaska,” appearing in the Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences, volume 116. The article was also featured in the Editors’ Highlight section of the journal.
Nature features GI Professors Bernard Coakley and Hajo Eicken
Professors Bernard Coakley and Hajo Eicken are included in a special feature titled "Scientific challenges in the Arctic: Open water" in this week's edition of Nature. The publication is an international weekly journal of science.
Read the detailed report here.
