Lecture highlights shaking glaciers of Southeast March 6
March 1, 2012
On March 6 at 7 p.m., Jason Amundson will present recent research of tidewater glaciers
in Southeast Alaska. Amundson, an assistant professor of geophysics at the University
of Alaska Southeast, will present “When Icebergs Crash Into the Sea” in the Westmark
Gold Room.
Icebergs are created when glaciers calve into a body of water. Though scientists who
study glaciers often focus on calving and the production of icebergs, it is a process
that is notoriously difficult to quantify. Researchers face the challenges of placing
instruments capable of measuring the amount of ice that breaks off a moving glacier
without knowing when such an event will happen. However, recent innovations in technology
have given scientists new tools for improved data collection and techniques for experiments
that better track the chunks of ice that fall off into the sea.
The lecture will be the sixth and final installment in the 20th annual Science for Alaska Lecture Series.
Science for Alaska 2012 is sponsored by the UAF Geophysical Institute and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company.
Hands-on activities for all ages begin at 6:30 p.m. inside the Gold Room. Families
are welcome.