Lecture highlights shaking glaciers of Southeast
February 29, 2012
907-474-5229
2/29/12
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.
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. 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 University of Alaska Fairbanks 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.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Jason Amundson, assistant professor of geophysics, UAS, at 907-796-6247 or jason.amundson@uas.alaska.edu. Amy Hartley, Geophysical Institute public relations manager, at 907-474-5823 or amy.hartley@gi.alaska.edu.
ON THE WEB: http://www.scienceforalaska.com
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