I am a geology major with a focus on glaciology and Geomicrobiology. My area of focus revolves around glacial environments and the reactions between them and their constituents (primarily microbial bacteria). I aim to become a research professor focusing on Geomicrobiology at a university after getting a masters and PhD in glaciology/Geomicrobiology. My interests relate to the geospatial sciences in both micro and macro scale as thinking spatially is imperative when relating organisms with their environment. GIS and remote sensing are used for mapping and measuring multiple aspects of ice sheets/ glaciers. Spatial knowledge is necessary for comparing small-scale processes of organisms to larger geospatial changes. I believe the geospatial sciences will continue to grow and play a large part in research of new environments not familiar to traditional scientific thought. The following 3 case studies will demonstrate the increasing importance of Geospatial methods in glacial environments.
Case 1 (Linsbauer et al 2012) focuses on the modeling of changing glacier thickness and distribution using digital elevation models with geographic information systems. This paper was published in the journal of geophysical research, but pertains to both glacial morphology as well as climate sciences. The work was performed by researchers in the department of geography at the university of Zurich, Switzerland. This research was funded by the Federal Office of Environment as well as the Forces Motrices Valaisannes. Modeling and synthesis methods involved the application of the digital elevation model GlabTop in order to observe ice thickness distribution. This ice thickness data allowed researchers to identify future glacial lake localities as well...
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...do provide a better understanding of behavior patterns of Himalayan glaciers and their ties with water needs, which lends non-intended success to this project.
Case 3 (Wang, X. et al 2013) was performed by research faculty at the China University of Geosciences. This project observed glaciers and glacial lake changes on the Tibetan Plateau and their relationships in context of climate change. These changes were observed using Landsat imagery and remote sensing for elevation as well as glacial thickness using DEM and Glas/ICES models. This project was funded by the Ministry of Land and Resources of the People’s Republic of China as well as the National Natural Science Foundation of China. This research was performed primarily to assist China by modeling glacial changes in their acquisitioned mountains in Tibet. The primary objective was to use relatively new models
“‘Glaciers covering China’s Qinghai Tibet plateau are shrinking 7% a year due to global warming and the environment consequences may be dire…’” (Doc A) I believe that this proves my statement because if the glaciers are shrinking 7% per year every year soon China will have no more water to flow from the glaciers into the rivers during the dry season. Another piece of evidence I believe supports my claim is that “The glaciers seasonal melting keeps the rivers flowing during the dry season but as the glaciers retreat more and more every year, there will be less water during the dry season.” (Doc A) this proves my claim because if there is no more water to flow into the rivers during the dry season the people of China would have to go an unsurvivable time without water. And for some final evidence “In addition the melting could cause massive flooding followed by severe drought.” (Doc A) I believe this because, Of China had flooding followed by drought, it would not only cause major destruction, but would also cause almost all agriculture in China to diminish, as well as put China’s flourishing economy to be put on hold. However this is a huge issue the biggest is saved for
Hess, D., McKnight, T. L., & Tasa, D. (2011). McKnight's physical geography (Custom ed. for California State University, Northridge ; 2nd Calif. ed.). New York: Learning Solutions.
University of Colorado, Boulder, August 11, 2003, NASA funds Colorado University at Boulder study of changes in Earth’s glacier systems in Ascribe Science News Service: pNa, p 1.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there was not a significant amount of scientific information known about the character of glaciers and therefore these travelers would not have had nearly the same exposure to factual information as a visitor in modern times. Even without the modern knowledge, the four writers make a diligent attempt to formulate words to describe the indescribable and unfamiliar, and to explain the nature, formation and behavior of glaciers.
“How Dangerous are Glaciers?: Glaciers Have Their Own Warning Signs.” Alaska Satellite Facility. University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2014. Web. 17. Feb. 2014.
Glaciers are a big part of life in Oregon. Glaciers supply drinking water, they irrigate crops and they help generate hydroelectric power. They are also a tourist attraction in areas that have more mountains. Glaciers are a natural resource that are so rare that people all over the world are trying to get these “frozen streams.” People want the power of glaciers because they can provide drinking water and people living in the city of La Paz, Bolivia rely on the melting of the glaciers. Glaciers irrigate crops and thousands of years ago people in Russia and Asia knew that dark colors promoted melting. This is how they watered their crops during dry periods. Even though this method has been proven very costly, India has created artificial glaciers to provide people with more water. Scientists have been damming glacial meltwater to help generate hydroelectric power. Glaciers supply drinking water to the community and are running low because they are continuing to melt.
...arth has always varied from time to time, since the time the earth was formed and it is one of the most unpredictable processes. Though it is a natural process, anthropogenic contributions are also accounted upon heavily these days. According to studies, although the earth is supposed to be experiencing a cooling phase at this time, it is evident from the polar ice caps melting that the earth is warming. The polar ecosystem is hence going through a phase of dynamism more due to external disturbances such as rising temperature and ocean thermal expansion. Therefore the need of the hour is to be aware about the changes in the ecosystem that is occurring and to come together to either prevent or adapt to the changing conditions. Only then can a ecosystem function in a healthy manner with its species diversity and good interaction among themselves and their environment.
Some say that the only reason glaciers are melting is because of low evaporation and not hot temperatures. That is one of the reasons , but the other is because there is some mu...
Palastanga, V., Van der Schrier, G., Weber, S. L., Kleinen, T., Briffa, K. R., & Osborn, T. J. (2011). Atmosphere and ocean dynamics: contributors to the European Little Ice Age? Climate Dynamics, (36), 973-987.
Climate change is difficult to express directly, for knowledge of climate change generally falls under the classification of “weather.” However geologists have known since the mid-nineteenth century that local, and global climate undergoes change throug...
Amos, Jonathan. “Deep Ice tells Long Climate Story.” BBC News. BBC News. 9/4/2006. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
As the world becomes continually warmer, the effect of climate change in the arctic regions becomes more intense. Within the past 50 years, arctic regions in Canada have experienced warming of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius (Fergal & Prowse, 2007). One of the most important areas in the Canadian arctic is the Cryosphere (Appendix A), which is the area consisting of season snow cover, permafrost glaciers, and sea ice (Fergal & Prowse, 2007). This area is significant because it has provided a stabilized surface for building pipelines, as well as provides access to northern communities (Fergal & Prowse, 2007).
According to the IPCC, climate change is defined as variations of climate conditions and its fluctuations existing on a long term particularly decades or longer (IPCC's Glossary, 2006).The alteration varies from changes in temperature, humidity, precipitation to the rise and fall sea level, or severe changes in landscape. Since the 1800s, the earth has had variant changes in global hemispheric temperature which mostly depicts the decrease of temperature. However, at the start of 1970s, temperature begins to rise up simultaneously in all regions for over roughly a century, an event that was unseen before (Figure 1.1) (Jones, 2011). Furthermore, as earth’s temperature is getting warmer, the ice in the Arctic Ocean began to melt in the warming temperature. The liquidation of the Arctic Ice has been occurring since the 1970s, however in Septem...
Jacob, T., Wahr, J., Pfeffer, T. W., & Swenson, S. (2012). Recent contributions of glaciers and ice caps to sea level rise. Nature, 514-518. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature10847
In the statistical distribution of weather condition and its perfect pattern in an amount of time ranging from decades to centuries to millions of years, a substantial, long-lasting and drastic change is largely known as Climate change. It may be a change in more or fewer extreme weather events or in the distribution of weather more or less the average conditions or in average weather conditions. With the usage of theoretical models and observations methods, scientists, experts and specialists in this particular field actively works in order to perfectly understand past and future climate under certain situation and circumstances.