Research

Our group is interested how the big ice sheets, in Greenland and Antarctica, flow and have flowed in the past, present and future.

The ice sheets have global importance because they contain enough ice to change sea level by many meters (and ~1 meter, or 3 ft, of change is likely by 2100). However, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change still argues that there is deep uncertainty in how the ice sheets will affect sea level over the coming century. A big part of this uncertainty is due to the complex dynamics of the ice sheets–small changes in their conditions can lead to large changes in their behavior. Our group uses various methods to try to understand that complex behavior.

One of our primary research themes is understanding the processes modern glacier retreat using a variety of techniques. We focus on large, globally impactful systems like Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica or the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS). We also use synthetic models, analagous to these systems, to understand the processes involved.

Rheology, particularly as result of ice-crystal fabric, is a particular focus. This small-scale property is poorly understood, but has a strong effect on ice flow. We work on methods to measure fabric with radar, to model how fabric develops, and to model how fabric affects ice flow.

Our primary tools are ice-penetrating radar and models. Radar allows us to “see” through the ice, detecting its shape and its internal structure. We can use that information to better understand ice flow on various timescales. Models allow us to test hypothesis and quantify our intuition. We work with models from the process scale (down to individual ice grains) to the large scale (glaciers the size of states or countries).

Current projects

Methodology