[PAOCQ] Alex Robel (Georgia Tech)

“New theories on the role of water in driving rapid ice sheet change”

Ice sheets in today’s climate exist near a phase transition. Water permeates the glacial environment, appearing on the ice sheet surface in summer, conveying heat from the turbulent ocean, and forming complex drainage networks at the interface with the Earth beneath ice sheets. In this talk, I will discuss some new theories on the role of water in potentially accelerating the ice sheet response to climate change. I will particularly focus on the patterning of supraglacial lakes on ice sheet surfaces, the flow of water underneath ice sheets, and ice sheet interactions with warm ocean waters. Where observations exist, I will discuss how they can be used to constrain theories to realistic ranges or even eliminate some possible outcomes. I will conclude by suggesting how we can use new applications of physics and machine learning to improve our predictions of future ice sheet change.

PAOC Colloquium

Interdisciplinary seminar series that brings together the whole PAOC (Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate) community. Seminar topics include all research concerning the physics, chemistry, and biology of the atmospheres, oceans and climate, as well as talks about societal impacts of climatic processes.

Contact: paoc-colloquium-comm@mit.edu