Rift Propagation on Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf, West Antarctica
Project in progress.
In collaboration with the TARSAN Team of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration especially Dr. Erin Pettit, Dr. Christian Wild, Dr. Nick Schmerr, Dr. Martin Truffer, and Dr. Karen Alley.
I use passive seismic data and satellite images, velocities, and strain rates to understand what drives the growth of big fractures on an ice shelf.
Stay tuned for our results!
Amplification of Surface Topography during Surges of Tweedsmuir Glacier
Publication in prep.
In collaboration with Dr. Dan Shugar & Dr. Gwenn Flowers
Sometime in the past, Tweedsmuir Glacier likely surged and blocked the Alsek River in which it terminates. The Alsek River is currently forced through a narrow bedrock canyon, Turnback Canyon, which blocks spawning salmon from entering the upper watershed. Thus, the surge history and dynamics of Tweedsmuir Glacier likely play(ed) and important role for salmon in the Alsek watershed.
We used historical images of Tweedsmuir Glacier from the 1950-1980s to reconstruct the surge history of this glacier from the pre-satellite era to present. We then analyzed the glacier surface topography over seven decades using a wavelet transform. Our analysis showed that there was likely an undocumented surge in the late 1950s/ early 1960s, and that topography on the surface of the glacier is amplified during surges.
Publication in prep.
In collaboration with Dr. Colin Rowell and Dr. Mark Jellinek
We use eyewitness accounts and a reconstructed hydrograph from the 1918 eruption and jökulhlaup (subglacial outburst flood) of Katla Volcano, Iceland to model a glaciovolcanic eruption plume. We constrain a simple jökulhlaup model with a reconstructed hydrograph and couple it to a model of hydrovolcanism (Rowell et al, 2022). This coupled model allows us to better understand how the addition of water affects eruption plume dynamics. Eruption plumes pose a hazard to nearby communities and can disrupt air traffic on short timescales, while affecting the composition of the atmosphere and thus, our climate, on longer timescales.
